Sometimes When We Touch
by JTrevizo
Summary: PRZ - Post the letter - Tommy realizes that if he wants Kimberly in his life, he'll have to take matters into his own hands to find out the truth. TK
1. Chapter 1 Sometimes When We Touch

10/10/2003  
  
From: J. "Writing Machine" Trevizo - jtrevizo_1013@yahoo.com  
  
Subject: New story - Sometimes When We Touch  
  
Rating: R for language and sexual situations.  
  
Spoiler: AU right after 'the letter'. I have personally not seen the episode this happened in, so if I get things a bit muddled, my apologies.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Saban Entertainment does, or supposedly Disney now does. Which seems to me a bit strange, as Disney was all about non-violent kids entertainment, and every parents group on the planet bashed PR for being too violent. Go figure. But they aren't your morning show "fluff" here, so be warned.  
  
Relationship: This is for T/K shippers. The "Kat relationship" didn't exist at this point, so, you should know what T/K stands for.  
  
Summary: Tommy realizes that he needs to take some direct action to get the truth.  
  
Dedication: To Cheryl and Shawn, who make PR fanfic a desirable, adult read. And to Irina for her own work as well as her indulgence to let her new beta hit the writing trail again. Thanks to all of you.  
  
Hello fellow PR fans. I've been reading PR stories for a long while, and decided to give this a try. I've been out of the fanfic game after 4 yrs doing X-Files, and had this story come to me. So, here it is. If I've crossed anyone else's previously posted story ideas, it was purely unintentional. Also, please note, this is in 1st person, and not the character I would have thought I would have written, so your indulgence is appreciated. I hope you enjoy. Now, on with the show...  
  
Sometimes When We Touch By J. Trevizo  
  
Sitting in my aisle seat in the coach section of the East bound jetliner, I glanced again at my watch and wondered if I was already too late.  
  
It had taken me a week to get both the courage and the money to put my butt on this plane headed for Florida to seek out the reason for the confusion and anguish that suffused my being. As well as the continued reason for my existence, no matter what that damn letter said. The Kimberly I knew, who I had just seen at Christmas couldn't have sent a cold, mechanical letter breaking off our relationship and undermining our past.  
  
It just wasn't in her.  
  
But then, who was I to question how she felt? Over the last seven days, I had stubbornly tried to piece together what the hell had happened. And what I kept coming up with disturbed me more than I would ever tell even Jason, my closest friend.  
  
I wasn't the victim here. I had been an active participant. Actually, to get it right, I had been a non-active non- participant. So had the rest of the team. I had turned to Adam, Kat, Rocky and even Tanya and asked them point blank, admittedly after a day or so when my sulking had ended and my mind began working again, who had talked to Kim last. The answer to that came in blank looks and glances around the group, looking for someone with an answer.  
  
Seems that no one had called, written or visited Kim since she headed back to Coach Schmidt's training facility in Florida after Christmas.  
  
And I have to admit, I was as guilty as everyone else.  
  
My correspondence skills are shitty. I knew that, as did Kim and the rest of the team, so I'd promised Kim I'd call. But saving Angel Grove, the world and the universe on what seemed a daily basis always ended up making me too exhausted to call when I would get home, or too busy when I thought of it. Or, even God help me, I just forgot her altogether.  
  
With a sigh at remembering my complicity at my relationship's demise, I notice I've been staring at the blue fabric and white plastic backing the seat in front of me. Reaching forward, I grab hold of my drink, ginger ale with ice in one of those little plastic tumblers. I take a long swallow and set it back down in the circular indent on the extended tray jutting from the seat before me. Part of me really wished I was of legal drinking age. Some hard liquor would have been more comforting, and helped steel my conviction in seeing her in person. I could have called, but it wasn't the same. I needed to see her.  
  
Truth be told, I really haven't thought twice about this. Once I pulled myself out of the nearly mind-numbing disbelief and hurt the words in her letter had created within me, I immediately started to think like a leader and a man who had spent three years with this woman, whom I still love.  
  
Yes, even now I love her. Why would I be on a plane headed to Florida if I didn't?  
  
Because I know the woman that left Angel Grove after Christmas would never write me out of her life like that. A brother? Not unless her family practiced incest... ugh Tommy, bad image. Let's not go there.  
  
So, after talking with everyone, I convinced my mom and dad that I needed to go out and see her. I had mom help me find a reasonably cheap airfare, and somehow got them to let me raid my college fund. It wasn't easy, since no one, even me, was sure when I could put it back. But now, sitting in my seat, halfway to Florida with a grand in traveler's checks in my wallet, I feel prepared to figure out what the hell is going on.  
  
My return flight is in three days. Mom and dad thought I could be back the following day. Dad had said straight out that if Kim had dumped me, all I needed to do was see her, ask her what happened and turn around and come home. It took a while to explain to them that I had no intention of just looking into her eyes, hearing her voice and just accepting things. I was planning on fighting for Kim. I wasn't going to come back without either truly understanding why she had broken up with me or I had her back.  
  
I've been through more in the last three years of my life than I ever imagined. I've been used and hurt, first by Rita and then by Zedd. Then I dealt with the loss of my powers. And now for nearly two years, I have had to make the tough decisions that being the Ranger's leader requires. For me to just blithely accept this devastating loss without putting up some kind of resistance, some kind of persuasive argument just isn't going to happen. And Kim should know that about me. Giving up isn't in my nature.  
  
Sure, I sulk, and feel guilty and want to give up. But I never do.  
  
Of course, the phone call to Jase asking his opinion was the best use of thirty bucks I've ever spent. He was as surprised as I was, and he, Trini and Zack all agreed that this wasn't at all like Kim. And even if I didn't know that, for the length of time they had known her, they should.  
  
A clatter and continuous squeak moving towards the back of the plane alert me to the flight attendant pushing the refreshment cart down the aisle. Quickly, I pull my feet out of the way so she can pass.  
  
"Can I get you some more to drink?" the pleasant looking blonde stewardess asked, staring at me a bit too long for my liking.  
  
Sure, I know I'm considered handsome. Even traveling in this cramped metal plane, I figure I still look okay - my long dark brown hair was still in its ponytail, and I'm wearing what I normally do; a tight red short sleeved t-shirt, black jeans and boots. It gets me the attention of women on the ground, so I guess I can't be surprised that it got the attention of the flight attendant.  
  
Except usually I can walk away and ignore it if some woman at the Youth Center or at school tried to come onto me. Trapped like this, there isn't much I can do but smile pleasantly and brush her off in some agreeable manner.  
  
"No, thanks, I think I'm good."  
  
"Let me know if you change your mind."  
  
I nod, and she moves on to my neighbor, who's trying to not noticeably salivate as he stares at her breasts. I'd noticed too, but they're not Kim's, so I don't even linger for more than a second.  
  
She reaches over me and passes the businessman beside me a can of V-8 and then moves on. I let loose a quiet sigh and reach again for the mostly filled ginger ale. It's cold going down my throat, and I close my eyes, willing this damn flight to be over.  
  
-------------------  
  
As soon as the wheels of the plane had hit the tarmac, I was ready to jump up, grab my one duffel bag and find the taxi stand. I was really hating the fact that being under 25 and without a credit card I couldn't rent a car, but then I had never been to Miami, so I wouldn't have known where I was going anyway.  
  
It was another long fifteen minutes as we pulled up to the gate and slowly disembarked. I hurriedly walked along with the other people on the plane, watching as they met friends and family at the terminal. Passing by a couple oblivious to everyone but each other, I felt my heart ache and my feet sped up.  
  
The airport flew by in a blur of gray walls and multi-colored people as I rushed to the exits. It wasn't until I was outside, breathing the Florida air that I noticed that it was already after dark. I'd forgotten about the time difference. I'd left Angel Grove at 11a.m., and it was a three hour time difference on top of a five hour flight. I thought about finding a cab, not checking into the motel that I'd booked and having him drive me directly to Coach Schmidt's training facility.  
  
Then I reined in my enthusiasm and realized that if I showed up at nearly 8 p.m. in the evening, someone might think I was a stalker and call the police. That wasn't the first impression I wanted to give Kim after two months apart, and the letter. So I walked to the curb and flagged down an unruly looking Hispanic driver in a white and red taxi. Opening the door, I threw my duffel across the back seat and followed it with a slam of the door.  
  
"Holiday Inn," I announced.  
  
"West Miami, South Beach or downtown?" my driver asked, and I looked at him in the rear-view mirror with befuddlement.  
  
Shit. I grabbed my bag and dug through the side pocket for the confirmation my mom made me take. I handed him the page and he nodded as he handed it back.  
  
"Never been to Miami?"  
  
"First time," I replied as I tried unsuccessfully to relax into the vinyl seating.  
  
"Business or pleasure?" he asked, quickly making the turn out of the airport and onto the nearby freeway onramp.  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
Looking up, I saw him give me a quizzical look in the mirror, and then shrug. We settled into silence as we drove to my motel, and a few more miles closer to my inevitable meeting with Kim.  
  
-------------------  
  
It was ten in the morning when I woke up in my bed at the motel. I hadn't realized the time difference and the jet lag was going to do me in so much. I'd thought about asking for a wake-up call when I checked in last night, but I forgot. What else is new.  
  
Quickly, I tossed aside the dark blue paisley patterned comforter and headed for the shower. The hot water did its work in waking me up, and I quickly moved through my routine. One of the white fluffy hotel towels did its work on my body, and followed up with doing its best to dry my hair. There were days when I really wanted to follow the crowds and buzz it down with some gelled spikes, but it just wasn't for me at the moment. And Kim would never forgive me for mucking with what she has always considered one of my best features.  
  
Still, there's times like now, standing in front of the mirror using the travel-size hair dryer to dry my hair that I think that maybe she could forgive me. And there's that issue of getting it under my helmet on a daily basis.  
  
Sighing, I finish the job, pulling the dry, straight locks into my trademark ponytail and move onto brushing my teeth. Once I'm minty fresh, I chuck the towel and pad into the main part of my room to dress.  
  
I made a point to bring with me the clothes that always ended up making Kim stare at me a bit longer than she'd like me or anyone else know. Once I realized what made her breathe a little faster, I made sure I wore it on a regular basis. Sure, I know it sounds childish, but then Kim seemed to always wear what I couldn't resist as well, so we're equally guilty of trying to deliberately drive the other insane.  
  
Such is my intention today. Besides, if my luck still holds, maybe Kim will be so stunned by my rugged good looks that she'll just fall in my arms, or at least offer up a good explanation why this all happened, rather than me having to drag it out of her.  
  
Hey, you never know.  
  
I don't wear most of these anymore, not since the team got our Zeo powers, and I'm now no longer the White Ranger. But Kim wouldn't recognize me in red, so I pull on a white tank top and then a white button-up long sleeved shirt with the cuffs rolled up over it. I slip into some jockey shorts and then my *only* concession to my status - red socks, then pull on the black jeans and the heavy boots I wore in on the plane.  
  
Once everything's in place, I head back to the mirror in the bathroom and make sure I look presentable. I turn back to the desk near the bed and pick up my wallet, taking note of the traveler's checks and no ready currency. I need to get the front desk clerk to cash some of them for me, so I don't have to hunt down a travel agency or bank. I used up my last couple of twenties on the cab ride over last night, and I doubt that any cab driver in Miami would want to take these over cold cash.  
  
Of course, next to all those multi-colored checks is my last letter from Kim. I folded it enough times to slide it into my bi-fold. I wanted it with me, so I could set it in front of her and ask her exactly what each sentence meant. Why she wrote these things. Ask for proof.  
  
Along with it is the address for my destination of the day, Coach Schmidt's training facility. With a shove, I pack away my wallet, and get up, snatching the card key for the room on my way out.  
  
The door shuts behind me and I start down the clean white hallway, passing the other wood doors along the corridor. It doesn't take long before I'm standing before the check-in desk, where a stunning Asian woman with short cut hair and bright red lipstick looks over the counter at me. She smiles and the only thing I can think of is that I wish Trini had told me something more useful about her last telephone conversation with Kim right after New Year's.  
  
"Can I help you sir?" the clerk asks, her attention firmly situated on me.  
  
"I need to cash some traveler's checks, and get a cab," I reply, digging into my back pocket for my wallet and about three hundred dollars in checks.  
  
"Certainly. Is there anything else I can do?"  
  
The question is simple enough, but my answer wouldn't be. Can you get my girlfriend back for me? Can you tell me how I screwed up the most important thing in my life so badly? Can you fix my life?  
  
I don't say any of those things, but simply sign the check backs the hand them to her, replying, "no, thanks."  
  
Turning to the cash drawer, she pulls out the cash, conveniently in twenties and hands them to me.  
  
"There are taxis at the door on your way out. Have a nice day sir."  
  
I nod and turn away, slowing as I pass a mostly empty table set up with the hotel's complementary continental breakfast. I snag a glass of juice and an apple Danish and keep moving for the front exit. As I walk into the bright Miami day, I see maybe three yellow cabs parked outside, waiting to take businessmen and tourists alike around the city. Quickly moving forward, I climb into the closest one, still eating. It is helmed by a Rastafarian- type African American man who happily smiles my way.  
  
"Where yah be going this fine day?" he asks in what I guess is a Jamaican accent.  
  
Without replying, I hand him the address for the training facility as I juggle the juice in one hand and leave the pastry in my mouth.  
  
"Sure now, let's be off then."  
  
And we pull away from the motel and onto the city streets headed towards the gym and Kim.  
  
-------------------  
  
I stood before the cement warehouse structure on the edge of the University of Miami complex for probably ten minutes before I forced one foot in front of the other, propelling me closer to the doors. If I hadn't known any better, I wouldn't have realized that within this simple structure, women were training hard to be better athletes and win gold medals.  
  
I was really starting to wish that we'd never ever heard of Coach Schmidt or thought of the Pan Globals. If we hadn't, things would be like they should be and how I wanted them to be again.  
  
I hadn't spoken to Zordon of this before I left, or anyone else for that matter. But part of me wanted to convince Kim to come back to Angel Grove. Perhaps we could find another power source, bring her back to the team. We'd done it before, when I lost my Green Ranger powers, Zordon found a way to bring me back. Why not Kim?  
  
Since she's been gone I've felt this gaping hole in myself, and not just personally. I never realized just how much I relied on her when I was the White Ranger, newly appointed leader of the Power Rangers. She was there to support me and ground me. Since she left, its as if I'm not the same leader I used to be. Not as sure or strong.  
  
And while I know I don't have control of the future, some small part of me worries that I might very well make a mistake that will cost one of my teammate's lives if I don't get back that missing part of myself. The part that is inside this gym.  
  
Stopping at the door, I held the metal latch tight in my grip as I shook my head to clear my thoughts. The first order of business was to see Kim and talk this whole thing through. Once that was done, then I can start thinking about our future, if I can prove to Kim we really have one.  
  
I yanked the heavy door open and strode into the facility. It looked like a gym, just with a lot more space. I walked along the bare concrete corridor past the locker room, and then further until I hit what I would have to say was the guard station. To my left was an office with wire-reinforced glass. In front of me was the ramp going down to what sounded like the main training area. Before I could get one foot onto that ramp, I heard a sharp voice snap from within the office.  
  
"And where do you think you're going sir?"  
  
Spinning towards the voice, I tentatively move in the direction of the open door of the office. Behind an old steel desk, a heavy-set African American woman sat, leaning forward over stacks of papers, file folders and glossy photos. Behind her, a fairly new computer with a printer and fax sat on a similar desk.  
  
She stares at me, reaching up to adjust a pair of wire rimmed glasses, tilting them down over her nose so she can see me over them. I feel like I've been caught without my homework by Ms. Applebee, and force a lump out of my throat. If there's any possibility of me not seeing Kim, this woman will most likely be it.  
  
"I'm here to see one of the athletes practicing at this facility," I announce with my leader's voice, tinged with a little more apprehension than I would have liked.  
  
Suddenly, her entire demeanor changes, and she smiles at me with a genuinely pleased expression. Turning back to the other desk, she yanks open a desk drawer with a grating sound and hauls out a binder sized book. She swivels back to me and drops the book with a thud on the paper covered surface of her desk.  
  
"I was starting to think I wasn't going to get to use this thing this month," she states brightly, opening the worn blue cover, and flipping in about halfway into the volume. "The coach has such stringent rules, and the girls are always so focused, we rarely get visitors."  
  
For a moment, I feel dizzy and sick to my stomach. Rules about visitors? Families rarely seeing their daughters? I suppressed a shudder at the thought and returned my attention to the woman who seemed more than happy to help me see Kim.  
  
"So, who are you here to see?"  
  
"Kimberly Hart," I replied, her name falling from my lips with the unconscious caress I had always said it with.  
  
"Oh, she's such a nice girl," the woman said, turning ten or so more pages, but in the opposite direction. "She's been here without fail since after Christmas."  
  
I leaned over the desk a bit and saw what seemed to be Kim's attendance chart. I could see the days when she had been in Angel Grove at Christmas marked with large red X's, while the days following up through today had simple green checks. She turned Kim's page over and started looking at it.  
  
"Are you Tommy Oliver?" she asked suddenly, and I straightened up again with a little shock.  
  
"Yes, how did..." I started to ask, then stopped as I tried to figure out why she would ask.  
  
"You're the one visitor listed for visits."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
The woman looked at me with surprise, and then her smiling face degenerated to a look of pity and frustration. Sighing, she shook her head and snatched a pen out of an Olympic Team mug.  
  
"All the girls here are only allowed to put one name on their visitor list. Most have their mom or dad listed. Seems that you're the person Kim listed as her visitor."  
  
For the second time in less than ten minutes I felt the floor falling out beneath me. They were only allowed to have one visitor. And Kim had chosen me. Sure, Kim's mom was in Paris, and her dad always seemed remote, but to pick me over one of them was staggering. Yet I had never been here before today, which meant no one outside of this gym had seen Kim since Christmas. The thought made my blood go cold.  
  
"It'll be nice for her to have someone visiting. Maybe it will help cheer her up. She's been sort of depressed for the last week or so. Would you sign here?"  
  
She shoved the book towards me along with the pen. I could see that the back side of Kim's page had an empty visitor registry, where I was to fill in my name and the date of the visit. As well as the time I arrived and left. I was getting a very bad feeling from all this and I knew that this kind woman had my answers, if I could only get them from her. I signed in and decided to make some idle chit-chat before easing into the questions I really wanted the answer to.  
  
"No problem. I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."  
  
"Adelle. Sorry about that, I'm not used to seeing people around here that don't know who I am. All the coaches and the girls know me, and I forget that the visitors have usually only met the coach."  
  
"Adelle, that's a nice name. How long have you been working for Coach Schmidt?" I asked politely, feigning interest as I worked to gain her confidence.  
  
"Oh, about fifteen years. I've seen it all, I swear," she laughed robustly, waving her hand towards the only other chair in the room on my side of the desk in invitation. "Every four years it's a new batch of girls. Of course, there's rarely exceptions like your Miss Hart, coming in during the middle of a cycle of training. But the coach seemed to think she had potential, even though at this point in training it doesn't seem like he thinks that about anyone."  
  
"Really?" I ask with growing curiosity.  
  
"It's tough. I remember my first year with the team. I was so shocked at the visiting policy. Then there was the yelling and punishments. I was just about to resign when the coach sat me down and assured me that the girls were fine, that they knew what they were getting into and that they had to work hard if they wanted to achieve their goals. So I've been here ever since, making sure that they get into practice and get back to their rooms on time."  
  
I hoped that my jaw hadn't physically dropped at Adelle's announcement. I know that I wasn't aware of any of these rules before Kim agreed to join Coach Schmidt's training, and I don't think she was either. Sure, we both knew she was going to have to work hard, but this sounded absolutely boot camp like. And with limited visitor privileges, it had to make the experience even more grueling. I was really not liking this at all.  
  
"But you didn't come to listen to me prattle on," Adelle acknowledged with a smile. "Now just go down that ramp and you'll find your little girl with the rest of the team."  
  
For a moment, I almost wanted to reply that no matter her size, Kimberly could never be called a 'little girl', but I simply waved my thanks and headed out the office door and down to the workout area of the gymnasium. At the bottom of the ramp, I looked around and saw two groups of six gymnasts. Half were on the opposite side of the room working with a few of Coach Schmidt's assistants on the parallel bars, but I could tell that Kim wasn't with them. I walked along the wall to my right to where the second group was working on the balance beam with Coach Schmidt himself. I first scanned the group for her trademark pink, but couldn't find it. Then my eyes settled on that caramel colored hair that I still saw in my dreams and could remember the smell of from every time I had held her to my chest and nestled my face into it.  
  
She was in a folding chair with a white towel wrapped around her neck. Four other women were with her, all watching the performance of a fifth teammate, as the sixth walked back to a chair behind Kim in the second row of seats.  
  
Not wanting to distract the gymnast on the beam, I took a seat in the back row of chairs, five rows back and probably a good six feet from Kim and watched her interact with her teammates. I couldn't see as well as I would have liked, but I watched her head nod or shake from side to side every once in a while. It was strange, her hair was bound in a tight French braid, more strict than I'd ever seen it. But then, if she was working as hard as Adelle seemed to make out, her hair was probably something she, like the others needed to restrain as best as possible.  
  
Unconsciously, I ran a hand over my own ponytail, and thought again of shorter locks. I was glad Kim hadn't gone as far as her nearby neighbor, who sported a blond bob that rivaled Mary Lou Retton's.  
  
Before I realized it, the young woman who had just been performing had vaulted off the beam and was now standing before Coach Schmidt, receiving some pointers. Then a flash of brown brought my attention back to Kim, and I saw her stand and shrug aside the towel.  
  
My breath caught in my throat and I swear my eyes started to tear. My Kim looked like she was starving herself. Gone was her usual cheerful pink, she now wore a black leotard that emphasized her thinness. Sure, Kim had always been petite, but now she was nearly rail thin. Without turning back towards my position, she moved towards the beam and prepared to start her routine.  
  
The first thing that struck me was how slow she seemed to be moving. As she ran to the jump, to launch herself onto the beam, I could see how much her legs seemed to shake from the activity. Thinking back, I had to say that when she had been home at Christmas, I hadn't seen her in anything where I could have noticed her thinness. With the winter weather, we all were pretty well covered, and when we had held each other, there had always seemed to be a jacket or sweater or two between us, so I never got a full gauge as to her weight loss. But it was obvious that it had been going on for quite some time for her to be so lethargic.  
  
Once she was on the beam, I could see extended glimpses of the energy I knew was inside the Kim I had encouraged to come to Florida to chase her dreams. But most of the time, I saw a woman who seemed to be pushed beyond her limits, exhausted by what she could do without fail before. As she made one complicated turn on the four inch wide beam, I felt my heart constrict as her toes slid from their position and the ball of her right foot followed them, slipping off the wooden apparatus. Quickly she fought to save herself, and was able to end up with her ass landing hard on the beam, rather than taking a tumble to the mat below.  
  
I tore my gaze from Kim for a brief second to check the coach's reaction. The dark glare I saw him giving Kim began to solidify my suspicions. He'd been working her to exhaustion, and now that she was making mistakes, he was angry with her.  
  
Finally, Kim vaulted off the beam and landed with a slight bobble. Then she slowly turned towards Coach Schmidt and almost resignedly walked to stand before him. I couldn't stay put any longer, so I stood and was just about to make my move to get closer to the front set of seats where I hoped to hear the coach's comments.  
  
I shouldn't have worried about not being able to hear. As soon as Coach Schmidt's mouth opened, a roar of sound engulfed the surrounding area and I froze.  
  
"Miss Hart, if you continue to consistently fail in improving this routine, you might as well just pack your bags and go home to that nowhere where I plucked you from! You're obviously lacking the desire to be a world class athlete, as well as the skills."  
  
I watched as Kim's head dropped forward to rest on her chest. She would never have taken that kind of verbal abuse without a biting retort, or even a joke. Yet now, she seemed defeated, and she seemed to believe Coach Schmidt's words.  
  
"I understand. I'll do better."  
  
The coach simply nodded his head and turned towards the next gymnast that was warming up in preparation to starting her routine. Kim moved back to her chair, where she draped the towel back around her neck and grabbed a bottle of water from the floor beside it. As she stood back up, she faced the wall I was standing in front of, and I saw her eyes shake off their detachment as she focused on my form. When her gaze finally reached my face, the look that resided on hers was one of shock, fear and almost relief.  
  
For a moment, I thought she was going to drop the water bottle in her hand as her whole body started to tremble noticeably. The other women in her group turned towards her, noting her paralysis, and then all eyes seemed to be on me, including Coach Schmidt's.  
  
This was it, I thought as I forced myself down the row of chairs and then walked up to the front row and strode towards Kim and Coach Schmidt. As I passed in front of the other gymnasts, who all seemed to be following my every move, I felt like the confrontation I'd been expecting with Kim had been shifted to Coach Schmidt.  
  
As soon as I was within a few feet of Kim, I began slowing my pace. I needed to look at her before I went and talked to the coach. Rather than stop right in front of her, I paused beside her, our heads tilted slightly towards one another. When her brown eyes met mine, I felt the spark that I had been so afraid wouldn't be there flare between us. From the moment I had set eyes on her inside this building, she hadn't looked alive until right this second. I was sure I could see some of her strength seep back into her with just my presence.  
  
And the love... well, unless I was reading too much into the look in her eyes, I could swear that it was there too.  
  
Quickly, I brushed her hand with mine as I refocused on the task at hand and approached Coach Schmidt. The kind, grandfatherly man I'd met in Angel Grove seemed buried beneath a tough, unyielding taskmaster. But I'd taken on evil in more forms than I could count. This altercation couldn't even come close to any of my experiences as a Ranger. He'd never know what hit him.  
  
"Coach Schmidt, it's good to see you again. You remember me, Tommy Oliver from Angel Grove?" I started out, holding my hand out to shake his, hopefully catching him off guard. "I came out to see Kim. You don't mind if I borrow her for a bit, seeing as how she just finished her routine?"  
  
Coach Schmidt took my hand and shook it firmly, his face relaxing a bit. I guess he did remember me. I braced myself for the rejection to my plea to get some time with Kim, but I was again surprised at what seemed a resigned look cross his face.  
  
"Perhaps that would be a good idea. Kimberly has been working very hard as of late. Maybe some distraction will help her regain her focus and improve her performance. Please, feel free to visit with her. But be sure to check with Adelle on your way out Mr. Oliver."  
  
Something in what he'd just said set off my internal alarm bells, but I wasn't quite sure if I understood him right. Did he expect me to visit with Kim here, in the building, and then sign out on my way, alone, out of here? If he was suggesting that, then he was insane. As it was, I was fighting the urge to just hoist Kim over my shoulder and run out of the building, not stopping until we were on a plane headed home.  
  
"I'll make sure I see Adelle when I finish my visit," I replied as vaguely as possible.  
  
Without another word, Coach Schmidt turned back to the other gymnasts, who had watched the entire proceedings, and yelled, "Alright, back to work!"  
  
Now that I had the coach's permission, I felt both free and nervous at once. Nothing stood between my talking with Kim, and it scared me to death. If I had been wrong about what I'd seen, then this was going to be more difficult than I thought.  
  
Turning slowly, I found her standing there, watching me with a look of surprise, nervousness and anticipation. It immediately made me want to wrap her in my embrace and never let go, so I started to her. Within a few quick strides, I was standing before her, looking down into those eyes that I loved so much. I put my hand on her shoulder, and waited to see if she was going to flinch or ask me to move it. Instead, I swear to God the temperature of her skin through her leotard seemed to soar where my hand sat.  
  
Another guy my ass.  
  
"How about we get out of here Beautiful?" I asked in my best velvet-toned voice.  
  
Kim didn't reply. She just tentatively nodded her head, reached her hand across herself and placed her hand over mine. As I looked at her with a growing smile on my face, I saw a matching one curve her sweet lips.  
  
Even though I hated to do it, I lifted my hand from her shoulder. Her hand fell from mine and I reached to take it and to walk her off the practice floor, away from the numerous sets of staring eyes. When my fingers curled around her smaller ones, I felt as if I was home again. Then I felt my own hand being squeezed by Kim's with more strength than I would have given her credit for having just 20 minutes earlier.  
  
Once I'd realized that was my cue to move, we both slowly headed for the ramp and up towards Adelle's office. I wasn't sure what was my next step - take Kim out of the building and only sign out when we returned, sign out now and see Kim 'off the books' or what. So I realized we'd have to ask when we stopped in the office.  
  
With a hand to the small of her back, I ushered Kim inside Adelle's office. As we crossed the threshold, Kim looked around before looking to Adelle. I thought it strange, but then assumed that unless you had a visitor, the gymnasts never had a reason to come in here.  
  
"Hi Adelle," Kim said, waving at the woman who turned from the computer screen and smiled.  
  
"Hello Kimberly. I see your young man found you alright."  
  
At that, I wanted to blush, but it was true. At least I hoped it was still true.  
  
"He did, thank you."  
  
Kim glanced up at me now, taking the initiative for the first time since I'd arrived to look me in the eye. What showed in her gaze was just as powerful as it ever was. I was starting to no longer doubt that Kim was still mine, no matter what her letter had said.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" I asked, not breaking away from Kim's eyes, not sure exactly whom I was asking the question of.  
  
Barely polite laughter broke the spell that seemed to be settling in on Kim and I, just like every time that we found time together 'alone'. We both whipped our heads towards Adelle, who was both smiling and laughing at the picture that we must have presented her. I knew Kim must be blushing, because I certainly was.  
  
"I think you two know exactly what to do," she smirked at us.  
  
"I meant regarding my visiting privileges," I remarked dryly, feeling a bit uncomfortable at this woman's outspoken manner.  
  
"No offense meant there young man. I simply think you have a lot of catchin' up to do. So how about you sign out when you and Miss Kimberly come back?"  
  
I turned my head towards Kim and saw a flash of fear. The thought of coming back seemed to scare her as much as leaving her behind did me.  
  
"What if I don't bring her back?" I suggested with an off-hand flippancy that I didn't feel, looking at Adelle to gauge her reaction to my words.  
  
"Then make sure you two stop off at the dorms and get Kim's things," she said with a seriousness that I wouldn't have expected from her. "Don't think that Coach Schmidt is going to be lenient in regards to curfews just because you've got a visitor Kimberly. If you don't come back to the dorm by 7pm, he'll just as soon kick you out of the training program as look at you."  
  
Beside me, I could feel the waves of indecision rolling of Kim. This was a new twist to my plan to get the truth from her about what was going on, and why she'd sent the break up letter. But I never thought my just being here would take the decision of her staying on track with her Pan Global training out of her hands altogether.  
  
"We'll deal with that later," said Kim authoritatively.  
  
Then she turned and left me behind as she walked to the Women's locker room.  
  
-------------------  
  
It had taken maybe twenty minutes for Kim to shower and change into a pair of blue jean overall shorts, a pair of white tennis shoes and socks and a pink crop top that I think she hadn't worn in a while. As soon as she reappeared in Adelle's office, I had her hand in mine and we were out the door and into the fresh Miami air.  
  
"So, how about some lunch somewhere we can talk?" I asked finally, needing to get out that one unspoken issue of discussing what was going on.  
  
I watched her start to open her mouth to decline the lunch part. She probably was planning on saying something about she couldn't put on any more weight, but I stopped her short of saying it.  
  
"No, you need a decent meal Kim. If the coach throws a fit, we'll deal with it. But for now, just humor me and let me take you to lunch?"  
  
Reluctantly, Kim nodded her head, as if in acceptance that she had to eat, as well as the fact that we had to talk about what was going on sooner or latter. As it was, my being here seemed like it was going to cause her problems with her training, and I had yet to find out whether she wanted me here or at all, and it was starting to weigh on me.  
  
"Where can I find a cab around here?"  
  
Startled, Kim looked up at me with a puzzled expression. I don't think she figured I wasn't going to just walk across the street to the local deli and buy her a salad or sandwich. Once I'd asked about the taxi, she knew something was up.  
  
"About a block down. The University usually gets some traffic this time of day. I'm sure it won't be that hard. If we need to, the Student Union could call us one."  
  
"Good, let's go then."  
  
With that, we walked slowly hand in hand along the sidewalk, watching as vehicles and bicycles passed us by in the ever increasing cloudiness of the Miami day. I'd heard that the weather patterns could be a little crazy, but this was starting to make me worry. I was just about to put Kim under an overhang that we'd just passed and make a run for the Student Union when a yellow cab turned the corner and headed our way.  
  
"Taxi!"  
  
It slowed at the curb and I released Kim's hand to usher her into the back seat. Clambering in beside her, I look at the Middle Eastern man at the helm of the taxi and try to make a split decision on what to do. Slamming the door, I look to Kim and realize that this needs to be light and easy if I want to get the truth out of her without her stalling me.  
  
So lunch first, then tough questions.  
  
"Hard Rock Café please," I tell the driver.  
  
Kim turns a shocked look my way as the cab pulls out onto the road and speeds off to its destination. I think I surprised her. The fact that we've rarely been anywhere like a Hard Rock Café in our entire relationship is more than likely the cause for her astonishment. I want this whole thing to be special. And from what I can see, its been a tough couple of months since we saw each other last, and I think she can use it.  
  
"Tommy, you don't need to do this to impress me," she says as we pass palm trees that are swaying with a recently kicked up breeze.  
  
"Impress you?" I repeated dumbly. "You think I'm trying to impress you?"  
  
"Well, I thought..."  
  
"Kim, look, whatever you're thinking, don't. You've been training really hard the last couple months, and you need some fun. That's all. If you're thinking this is about the letter, don't. We'll deal with that later. For now, let's just have a good time, ok?"  
  
"Alright."  
  
At that, I pulled her into my side and her head found its place against my chest and all was right with my world.  
  
-------------------  
  
We'd made simple small talk over lunch. I ordered as many things that I could remember which were Kim's favorites, much to her delight and chagrin. Listening to her complain how the fried cheese sticks were going to go straight to her thighs made me laugh, and when the chocolate brownie with ice cream and chocolate syrup appeared after her salad, she shot me a death glare that I had missed more than I had realized.  
  
She asked about the team, and I told her about our new Zeo powers, since no one else had. I explained why Billy and Aisha hadn't been in touch, and our whole childhood regression thing. Watching her silently mourn the passing of our Ninjetti powers in favor of Zeo brought out a similar feeling in me that I didn't realize I felt.  
  
I asked about life in Florida in general, not her training and got a lot of vague answers. When I asked about her mom and dad, I found that Mrs. Dumas called on a fairly regular basis, and was always asking how she was improving and what her chances were of making the team. It was a bit disturbing to think that Kim didn't say that her mom asked how she was and ask if she wanted to visit.  
  
Still, our lunch was pleasant and light. The weight of training, her future with the program, our relationship or even the fate of the world was put on hold for a whole glorious hour and a half as we ate and talked.  
  
When we'd finished, I paid the bill, but I still had no decision on what to do about the more difficult conversation I'd been postponing. We needed to discuss the letter and her training, but I wanted to do it somewhere quiet.  
  
Did I dare...  
  
"Let's go."  
  
I moved to her chair and pulled it out as she got up. Then we headed for the exit where I found a nice tropical storm had arrived without my knowledge. There went any chance of a walk in a park somewhere to make her feel as if she could get up and leave if she needed to. Instead, it left me with very few options.  
  
"Kim, we need to talk," I began, trying not to stutter as the one thought I was most afraid of tried to force its way out of my mouth.  
  
"I know," she replied nervously.  
  
"Would you, I mean, would it be okay if we went back to my motel? That way we can talk privately."  
  
I watched as she sucked in a deep breath and held it. It seemed like every emotion flashed for a moment in her eyes before she let her breath out in a slow exhale.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Part of me was stunned, another terrified. I think the next twenty minutes went by in a blur as we got a cab and drove back to the Holiday Inn where I was staying. We were silent the whole time, even up until I opened up the door to my room and ushered Kim in before me. As the door shut and locked behind me, I think both of us realized that there was no going back for either of us, in more ways than one.  
  
Kim sat at the head of my bed, tucking her knees up and to the side as she slipped one of the pillows from the bedspread and hugged it to her. If I was any other man, I would have thought she was afraid of me with that pose. Yet I caught her cease watching me for a moment as she closed her eyes while she took a quick smell of the pillow. It probably didn't smell like I'd been sleeping on it, but it seemed to make her shiver anyway.  
  
I figured I'd give both of us some space, and sat at the end of the bed, my right leg tucked almost under me so I could face her. My fingers ended up drawing circles on he bedspread as I waited to see if she'd start. When she didn't, I though perhaps I could break the ice with just speaking her name.  
  
"Kimberly?"  
  
Her eyes caught mine and held my gaze, unspoken things flashing between us that had never needed to be stated or explained before now. Unfortunately, too many of those things were being questioned by both of us to let us simply assume nothing has changed.  
  
"Do you want some water?" I asked, stalling for more time as I hoped she would offer her own sins before I had to expose mine.  
  
Kim shook her head. "Maybe later."  
  
Unconsciously, my hand went to my hair and my fingers raked through the strands at my temple. After a minute or two, I sighed and realized I would have to begin this discussion with my own faults, and I was terrified at the prospect of it.  
  
"I know I didn't call you like I promised," I began tentatively, hating myself as I began to take my fair share of the blame in the failure of our relationship.  
  
"It's not your fault," Kim suddenly burst out, her fingers tightening on the pillow. "And it's not what you think."  
  
"What do I think?"  
  
"That you neglected me. And because of it that I found someone else."  
  
"Didn't you?" I counter, my heart thudding in my chest as I await her reply.  
  
There's silence for a long while, and I watch Kim fight off the start of tears. She pulls away one of her hands from the pillow and wipes angrily at her eyes. Then she turns those soft brown pools on me and looks me dead in the eyes.  
  
"No."  
  
I think my heart just stopped and started again in the span of three seconds. She lied to me. The letter was a lie, and she never found someone else. But it doesn't mean she still wants me. Today, since we've been together, I have been sure that she still loves me, but there's no way to truly know until she confirms it. So I have to ask.  
  
"Do you still love me?"  
  
The nervous look on her face melts into a bright smile that I remember from a long time ago standing by the lake in Angel Grove Park. Without thinking, I reach over and grab the hand that isn't holding the pillow and feel the wave of history sweep through us both.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Me too," I reply with a smile and yank on her arm, pulling her across the bed until she sits before me. "I miss you."  
  
I glance down at her and see that she's smirking at me, and that she's tossed the pillow to the floor. Her free hand has landed on my left thigh and I'm starting to think that maybe we should have braved the weather outside. It would be a lot less dangerous than being alone with Kimberly in my room.  
  
"I miss you too."  
  
More than anything, all I want to do is just kiss her until we're delirious with oxygen deprivation and to hell with answers. Except this one big question that continues to scream in my head refuses to go away so easily.  
  
"Why did you send the letter then?"  
  
Her head drops so her eyes don't have to meet mine. As much as I want to give her space to reply, I need to see the answer in her eyes as much as I need to hear it. I reach my free hand under her chin and raise her face to mine. Tears now glitter at her lashes, and I know that the truth of what happened is painful for her, so I'll let her take her time. After a little while, she lifts her hand to my cheek and softly caresses my skim before she pulls it away to wipe at the seeping liquid that is starting to escape her lids.  
  
"I didn't have a choice."  
  
"What?" I say, my voice sounding harsher than I meant. Kim cringes and I jump to temper my words. "I mean, why didn't you have a choice?"  
  
"After Christmas, things were fine. But unlike a lot of the other girls, I still had strong ties to you, the team, Angel Grove... the coach thought it would be better for all of the athletes to live, sleep and breathe gymnastics. To the exclusion of our families and friends."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Neither did I until late last month. Coach said we were now at the next phase of training and we were expected to work harder. Our meals were cut and the weigh-ins that had been weekly were now daily. I was probably five pounds under my 'normal' weight, but I was still five pounds over what I was told I had to be to continue. The stress started to get to me, and I tried to call Aisha and Billy and you, and I couldn't reach any of you."  
  
Kim swallowed hard, and I felt an answering knot in my own throat. Maybe if I had called here, none of this ever would have happened. I felt Kim shudder beneath my touch and I knew that the worst was still to come.  
  
"I started to make mistakes in practice. I was so depressed, and with the weight loss, I just wasn't cutting it. So Coach Schmidt took me aside and asked what was going on. Stupidly, I said I was having problems concentrating because I couldn't reach you. So, he convinced me that it was probably best if I let you go, so I could better focus on the training."  
  
I sat there in shock. Kim had broken up with me because Coach Schmidt had suggested it? The look on my face must have conveyed my thoughts as Kim tightened her grasp on our joined hands.  
  
"I wasn't thinking clearly Tommy. There was no one to turn to, no one to support my relationship with you, to make me realize what I would be sacrificing. I was so blinded by Coach Schmidt's promises that I really thought he was trying to help me."  
  
"Now you think he wasn't?"  
  
"Maybe, I'm not sure. But all my sending you that letter did was make me feel worse. The fall you saw me take today on the balance beam... that hasn't been the worst."  
  
My hands flew from their previous positions to take her shoulders as panic started to attack my senses and my protective nature towards her reasserted itself. I'd nearly lost her before she'd come to Florida in an accident far worse than today's had been, but the thought that this one I'd seen had been minor compared to what she was saying she'd been through recently chilled my blood.  
  
"You're okay, right?" I asked with fear lacing my voice.  
  
"Yes," she soothed, her hands coming up to frame my face as she smiled lightly at me. "I'm okay. Nothing too serious, all the parts are working."  
  
I tried not to smile but failed miserably. Seeing that my fear had ebbed, she moved her hands to rest on my thighs again, much to my, ahem, physical discomfort.  
  
"So, if we're back together, and based on what you've said we are, is that going to cause you problems with training? Hell Kim, is my visit here putting you in jeopardy of being removed from the program?" I asked hurriedly, afraid if I didn't get it out in one breath that I'd be reluctant to do so at all.  
  
Watching Kimberly frown is not a pleasant sight. I think in the last three years I've seen her look this determined yet troubled less than a dozen times. Whatever she was considering couldn't be good.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"It almost seemed like when Adelle mentioned you missing curfew because of my visit you were welcoming the idea that it would get you removed from the training program," I asked gently. "Kim, do you want to quit?"  
  
"If I don't see this through, I'm just not sure what else I have," she said quietly after a moment of silence that was a little too long for my liking.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I gave up so much to come here, and if I don't make it, I'll have given up everything for nothing. You, the team, Angel Grove..."  
  
"Hey," I start, sliding my hands up to her face as I watch the conflicting emotions swirl in her eyes. "You have me and you'll never lose me. And Angel Grove and the team are still there waiting for you, no matter if you're a World famous gymnast or not."  
  
"You and Angel Grove, yes, but the team... There's no place for me there now."  
  
Sighing, I couldn't help but shake my head. I should have expected this. Hell, I'd been here myself when I'd lost my Green Ranger powers. Sure, I had the team's support and Kim's love at the time, but it still didn't fill that hole I was feeling. It wasn't until Zordon handed me the mantle of the White Ranger that I felt like I fit in again. And her fear of being an outsider with her friends is very understandable to me.  
  
"Kim, what if we could bring you back?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Back, to the team. Like Zordon did with me, like we did with the Ninjetti powers. We know that there's other power out there, we could find it for you, bring you back to the team."  
  
Kim sat there and pondered my suggestion. I know that she remembered the many times she herself had asked why I couldn't be given other powers, even the White Ranger powers before I revealed myself to the team. I could see how tempting the thought was, being back in action, in uniform with the team, with me... then a cloud of doubt fell over her, and I watched her start to retreat from the hope I was offering her.  
  
"There's no guarantee that we could do that Tommy. I don't know if I could go back only to not have it work out. And if we did find a power source, how long would it take to do so? A week, a month, longer? What would I do while you looked for it? Tommy, I still don't even know what I would do if I did come back, team or otherwise."  
  
"Come back to Angel Grove high, graduate with the rest of us. Be with me," I stated seriously.  
  
"How? Mom's in Paris, Aisha's not there anymore, and Billy's gone too," she countered stubbornly.  
  
"You could stay with Kat or Tanya," I suggested, then found myself saying what I really wanted, "or with me."  
  
Once the words left my mouth, I felt my heart start hammering in my chest like a drum. Oh shit, what the fuck did I just suggest? That Kim and I live together? From Kim's wide eyes look of shock, I think she had gotten the gist of my unspoken suggestion as well.  
  
"I mean, we... I... my folks have a guestroom. You could stay there until after graduation."  
  
"You think your parents would be okay with that? Or that my mom would be?" Kim remarked with a slightly seductive but skeptical tone to her voice.  
  
"We won't know until we ask," answered honestly. "The truth is I would move heaven and earth to bring you home to me Beautiful. If that means braving my parents and yours to get you a place to live, I'll do that. If it means searching the universe for a new power for you, I will. I'll do whatever I need to if you want to come home to Angel Grove. But it has to be your decision. I don't want to be responsible for making you walk away from this opportunity."  
  
Before I knew what had hit me, Kim had leapt foreword and wrapped her arms around my neck. Automatically, I pulled her closer to me, my arms going around her waist as I reveled in the feel of her this close to me again.  
  
"Who's parents do we call first?" she asked, her voice muffled against my skin.  
  
The next thing I knew we were both laughing and hugging so hard I was afraid I'd break Kim's ribs. My mind was just dazed by this revelation. She was coming home!  
  
"I love you so much Beautiful. It hurt me so badly when I thought you'd found someone else," I mumbled as the laughter began to be replaced with an overwhelming hyper-sense of the serious path that we were undertaking.  
  
"Only you Tommy. It's only ever been you," she replied as she pulled back to look me in the eyes, all the love for me showing there as plain as day.  
  
With that I leaned down and kissed her like I'd been dying to since I'd laid eyes on her in the gym. Her lips were as sweet as I remembered them, and I couldn't help but slant my mouth against hers and drink deeper of her. I'd been starved for her for months and hadn't even known it. Kim answered in kind, twining her fingers in my hair and swiping her tongue at the tip of mine.  
  
I moaned and focused on bringing as much of her body her in contact with mine. Without any effort, I slid my hands under her ass and lifted her onto my lap. Her breasts strained against my chest and I felt the twin hard points scrape through my shirts as if they weren't there.  
  
This was quickly getting out of hand, and I was loathe to stop it as much as Kimberly seemed to be, judging from the way she wiggled her pelvis to adjust her position on my lap and my straining erection.  
  
Luckily before I could be a gentleman and pull away, my communicator went off. The sound was like a bucket of ice, shocking us back to reality.  
  
"Yes Zordon?"  
  
"I'M SORRY TO INTERUPT YOUR TRIP TOMMY, BUT THE TEAM NEEDS YOU URGENTLY IN ANGEL GROVE. YOU NEED TO TELEPORT BACK IMMEDIATELY."  
  
My eyes caught Kim's, and I was surprised at the glowing smile and sparkling eyes that greeted me. I was going to have to leave her for the moment, and she seemed almost pleased. That threw me.  
  
"You're okay with this Beautiful?"  
  
"Go. While you're gone, I'll catch a cab back to the dorm and pack up. But by the time you get back Mr. Oliver, you better be prepared to take me back with you."  
  
I gave her such a goofy, happy grin, I was worried she was going to think I'd lost my mind.  
  
"I'll be right there Zordon."  
  
With that, I pulled my hand from the communicator and wrapped both of them around Kim's tiny waist. Lowering my head, I kissed her soundly, a promise being made that I intended to keep. Kim answered it in every way.  
  
"I'll be back soon," I said when I finally pulled back from the kiss. "So go take care of settling things here and calling your mom while I'm gone. When I get back, we're outta here."  
  
"I'm counting on it."  
  
With that, I pulled away, and pressed my communicator, teleporting myself back to Angel Grove as my heart or more precisely Hart waited for my return in Miami.  
  
End  
  
To find the NC-17 sequel, please go to my ff.net profile, and click the link to my homepage. On my homepage there's a link to Paved With Good Intentions. 


	2. Chapter 2 Paved With Good Intentions

Author's note: This is the "watered down" version of this story. For the original version, please see my homepage.  
  
Spoiler: This is the sequel to "Sometimes When We Touch" - you might need to read it first.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Saban Entertainment does, or supposedly Disney now does. Which seems to me a bit strange, as Disney was all about non-violent kids entertainment, and every parents group on the planet bashed PR for being too violent. Go figure. But they aren't your morning show "fluff" here.  
  
Relationship: T/K ship.  
  
Summary: Forging your future takes some work.  
  
Dedication: Again - To Cheryl, Shawn, and Irina for their inspiring work. Also, to my indulgent husband who is letting his wife spend some of her free time writing fanfic about a kid's TV show.  
  
Hello fellow PR fans. I never intended to write more than the first story, but here's a sequel anyway. Oh well. So here we go, picking up close to where we left off. I hope you enjoy. Now, on with the show...  
  
Paved With Good Intentions By J. Trevizo  
  
True to my word, as soon as everything had been taken care of in regards to saving the world, I teleported back to my motel room in Miami. Unfortunately, when I got back, a few hours had passed and Kim was no longer here.  
  
Sighing, I went to the end table near the bed, grabbed the phone and dialed Kim's room in the dorm, dropping to the comfortable mattress as the phone starts to ring.  
  
"Hello," says the sweetest sounding voice on the planet as Kim answers the phone.  
  
"Hey there Beautiful, I'm back," I announce over the phone line, my face plastered with a silly grin at the sound of her voice on the other end of the line. Boy, do I have it bad.  
  
"Hey handsome, glad to have you back in one piece," she says in a sweet tone that I remember in my dreams.  
  
"Did you talk to Coach Schmidt?"  
  
"Yeah. He was upset that I'd decided to leave the program, but after I explained my reasoning, he seemed to be okay with it. In truth, I'm sure he really could care less. I mean, I'm really just another gymnast to him."  
  
I stifled a growl at her words.  
  
"You're not 'just another gymnast' Kim. And if he can't see that, then you're better off with people who can."  
  
Through the phone I can almost hear her start to argue, then stop herself.  
  
"Well, I know that you appreciate me," Kim replied, her voice catching on the word you.  
  
"So, are you packed?"  
  
There's a long pause on the line, and I feel a chill run down my spine. She wasn't backing out, was she?  
  
"Kim?"  
  
"I am. I asked Adelle to ship everything to the Angel Grove main Post Office. So I have a suitcase with my bare essentials in it. But I guess the issue is that I should leave the dorm, since I'm not a part of the team anymore. Except I don't have anywhere to go until we head back for Angel Grove," she explained, her tone edged with that seductive quality that I remembered from before Zordon had contacted me.  
  
If I had been any more thick-headed, I might have missed the implications of what Kim had just said. If she left the dorm, the only place for her to stay would be with me in my room. Sure, I probably could afford getting her a room too, but if she wanted that, she would have asked me if I could get her a room. It sounded like she wanted me to invite her to my motel room, maybe to pick up where we left off, and I certainly didn't have any objections to that.  
  
"Grab a bag and take a taxi to the motel. I'll wait for you and pay the driver."  
  
A slight inhale of breath on the other end of the line indicates to me that she's surprised I picked up her meaning. Hell, so am I. But I wasn't about to forget the sexual tension that having her rubbing herself into my lap had created, and was on the verge of returning just by hearing her voice.  
  
I wait for her to confirm my request and start to become nervous, as the line stays quiet. Maybe I misunderstood what she was implying in her comment. If that's the case I may have dealt a damaging blow to our recently repaired relationship.  
  
"Are you sure you want..." she begins and then falters, the words refusing to come out.  
  
Am I sure I want what Kim, I think to myself. You to come here? Definitely. You in my bed? You bet. You in a very decidedly physical way...  
  
Shit.  
  
"Kim, if you're uncomfortable, I can always get you another room, or I can sleep on the floor. I just thought that you..." I stammer hurriedly, realizing that I really jumped the gun.  
  
"I do," she replies quietly, meekly, and for the first time I understand the fear that is driving her down this path.  
  
The whole time she's been here she's been made to feel inadequate, that she doesn't measure up to the others. The last thing she can probably handle is not measuring up to my standards, as a woman. I shake my head at her silliness.  
  
"Beautiful," I gently call her across the phone line, "*you* are what I want. All I've ever wanted. I look at you and I see the beautiful woman you are. You couldn't disappoint me if you tried."  
  
For a second, I hear a snuffle come from her end of the line, and I worry that I've said too much, too fast.  
  
"I just," Kim begins, and then pauses before she pushes on, "I know that I've lost a lot of weight, that I'm not the Kimberly you remember. I don't want you to regret your decision to take me back."  
  
My hand grips the phone so tight I'm afraid the plastic case will break. I hate what the last few months has done to my Kim. It's as if her spirit was broken under the yoke of this dream that turned into a nightmare for her. And for me as well, if I'm going to be honest. So when I received her letter, I made a promise to myself to get her back. Now, like she was there for me when I lost my green ranger powers, I'll be here for her during this crisis of self-esteem, of herself.  
  
"I have no regrets, except for the one that nearly allowed me to lose you in the first place. Kim, you know I love you, and I want you to be with me. So get off the phone and get yourself here."  
  
A familiar, lighthearted giggle breaks loose from her, and I can feel the tension disappear even at this distance.  
  
"Alright handsome, I'm on my way. I hope that you're ready," the smile and the seductive tone have returned to her voice, and I feel happy and anxious at this turn of events.  
  
"You bet. I'll see you soon."  
  
With that the line goes dead and I stare at the phone with a silly grin. Then I begin to panic as I realize exactly what we're agreeing to. This is it. Once we cross this line there's no going back. I won't be able to let her leave again.  
  
I shove my hand in my back pocket and pull out my wallet. I have cash for the taxi, but that's not what I'm searching for. With a slight curse, I realize that it's empty of other things that I really think I'll need tonight, and for a long while after if I guess right.  
  
No condom.  
  
Okay, I think, starting to nervously pace as my hand runs through the hair at the back of my neck. I need to buy a pack of condoms before Kim gets here. If nothing ends up happening, then I just take them back to Angel Grove, and if everything works out once we're home I'll end up using them later. But if things go the way I think they seem to be, I'll need them tonight.  
  
Damn, where do I go to buy a pack of condoms at... 9pm in a strange city?  
  
I grab the plastic card key and head out the door in a rush. Hopefully there's a guy at the front counter so I don't look like a boorish oaf to some young woman for asking about a pharmacy when my girlfriend's arriving in possibly fifteen minutes.  
  
My luck seems to be holding as I find an older man with graying temples behind the counter, probably working his second job or something. Steeling myself, I head for the front desk.  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
"Good evening sir, how can I help you?"  
  
"Yes, do you know of a pharmacy close by?" I ask plainly, trying to be calm while inside I'm shaking. "Or even a local corner store?"  
  
"There's a small mom and pop grocery nearby. Just go out the door, turn right and go down two blocks then turn right and it's another block down," the man informs me kindly.  
  
With that, I'm out the door like a shot. I don't have a lot of time to waste.  
  
----------  
  
I'm standing at the front of the motel when Kim shows up in a cab. I smile as she looks out the window and catches my eyes.  
  
Quickly I'm at her door as she starts to open it. Behind the wheel, the taxi driver is watching us as if he's waiting to make sure we don't stiff him on his fare.  
  
"Sixteen dollars even," he tells me, and I reach into my back pocket and fish out a twenty, handing it through the passenger window.  
  
"Keep it," I say as I shove my wallet back into my pocket, grab first Kim's sole piece of luggage in one hand and then her hand in the other. "Let's go."  
  
With that I escort Kim before me into the motel lobby and down the hall to my room. I notice that she's changed into a dark pink dress with slip on shoes. Easy access, and I reign in thoughts of peeling it off of her the moment we cross the threshold of my room.  
  
Slowly we make our way down the hall. As we arrive at my door, I start to pull my hand from its' resting place at the small of Kim's back. The keycard is in my back pocket, next to the small pack of condoms I just bought.  
  
Suddenly Kim catches my hand, stopping me before my touch leaves her body.  
  
"Where's the key?" she asks almost breathlessly.  
  
"My pocket, but I..." I start to explain before her hand reaches behind me and brushes along my ass before it dives into the pocket with the key and the condoms.  
  
I feel the pressure in my pocket increase with her hand in there as well, then it all disappears as Kimberly drags her hand forward to look at what's she's discovered. Her eyes take on a wicked gleam as she looks from the five pack of condoms up at me.  
  
"I guess you're not forgetful about everything," she says in a husky tone that has my head spinning. All I can do is shrug with an embarrassed, guilty look on my face.  
  
Key card in hand, she quickly shoves it in the lock and opens the door. Turning, she backs into my dark motel room, motioning to me to follow with a crook of her finger.  
  
She doesn't need to ask me twice. I cross the threshold and drop her bag on the floor. Painfully I make myself turn from her beckoning gaze to close and bolt the door, but only after I slip the 'Do Not Disturb' sign over the outside door handle.  
  
Slowly spinning towards the dark room, I can hardly make out her silhouette against the closed drapes. Some light seeping through the cracks allows me to see her back lit by orange streetlights, and I find myself about to come apart at the seems if I can't touch her right this minute.  
  
Moving forward towards the beckoning shadow before me, I swiftly find my hands wrapped around Kim's slim waist. With a gentle tug, she's in my arms, her chest against mine as her arms loop behind my head with a bit of difficulty, due to the height difference. My eyes are adjusting quickly to the dark, and I start to see Kim in more detail, her lips curved in a smile and her eyes staring at me with more emotion that I've ever seen.  
  
I lean down and she leans up to meet me, and our lips touch, then cling. She moves to slant her head more, and I deepen the kiss, running my tongue along her mouth until her tongue snakes out to meet mine. One of my hands slips beyond her waist, cupping the cheek of her ass like I've always wanted to do. Under my mouth, I hear a mewl of pleasure from her, and my heart pounds faster at the sound.  
  
Somehow my love/lust addled mind realizes that her hands have moved and one is now making its way down my chest. The warmth of her touch seeps through my white shirt, and I wish I didn't have on so many clothes. The thought of her soft hand on my skin is slowly making it hard to think of anything but more intimate activities, and I need to be sure that's what she wants before we go too far.  
  
With more strength than I realized I had, I break the kiss, bringing my hands back to Kim's waist, but keeping my head down, close to hers. I watch as she licks her lips, her eyes never wavering from mine.  
  
"Are you sure about this Beautiful?" I ask quietly, afraid to break the spell that seems to have settled on us in the dark of this room on the other side of the country from home.  
  
"You're the one thing I've always been sure of," she replies in a smoky tone I know for a fact that I've never heard pass her lips. "Please Tommy, I want to be with you."  
  
Without a second thought I pull her tightly back to me and attack her mouth with both my passion for her as well as my deep devotion. All those years when I first saw her in the hallway at Angel Grove High, I knew I was hers. I had no doubt of it. It was something that was in my bones, my soul. Now, we're finally going to explore the true depths of that connection, and my blood is on fire with the thought.  
  
I bring my hands up to her head and let my hands drag through Kim's caramel brown locks, and then my palms land on her shoulders. My thumbs slip beneath the cloth at the collar of her dress and brush against her skin.  
  
"May I?" I ask in a breathy tone that belies my control, which is considerable since all I really want to do is rip this dress off her and throw her onto the bed.  
  
"Please," she replies simply.  
  
I move to the buttons that first caught my attention and slowly slip each one from their hole. As the cloth parts beneath my hands, I find my eyes plastered on soft, tan skin and then the front clasp of the palest satin pink bra I've ever had the fortune of seeing. Once I have sunk to my knees before her, the buttons of the dress undone to her waist, I carefully pull apart the fabric covering Kim's upper half and expose all of the soft curves beneath. With great difficulty, I drag my eyes from the sight before me to meet Kim's nervous ones. I can't believe that Kim could think I would find her as anything less than perfect to me, and I need to make sure she knows that.  
  
"You are so beautiful, you know that don't you?" I whisper, awe and devotion dripping from my every word.  
  
"You make me beautiful," she responds lovingly, her fingers tangling in my hair.  
  
My fingers make quick work of the rest of the buttons until her matching pink panties and her legs come into view. Then the cloth falls like water to the floor as Kim takes the initiative and shrugs her shoulders from the garment, letting it slip from her body. Reaching forward, I wrap my hands around her waist and ease her to a sitting position on the bed. With slow, and I hope sensual movements, I slip off each of her shoes in turn.  
  
Before my hands leave her delicate yet dangerous foot, I feel Kim's hands on my shoulders, pulling on the white shirt. Looking up, I see her request in her face, and quickly pull both my button down and the tank shirt off, tossing them near the floor at the end of the bed.  
  
Once my chest is bare, I watch in anticipation as Kim's hands reach for me, the smooth, warm texture of her palms smoothing down to my waistband. Instead of asking me, this time she purposefully pops the metal button from its hole and pulls my zipper down. My face must have look of utter surprise at Kim's boldness, as she gives me a half smile, half smirk as she pushes on the waistband, trying to shove the heavy black jeans over my hips.  
  
"I'm gonna need you to help me here," Kim says playfully, her voice tinged with more than a small amount of seductiveness.  
  
In a matter of seconds, I'm up off the floor, nearly ripping the jeans, boots and socks so I stand before Kim in my white Jockey shorts. I feel a blush start as Kim stares at me, and I feel the need to refocus the attention elsewhere.  
  
Without delay, I drop back to my knees again, and pull Kim forward on the edge of the bed. Reaching up from her waist, I move to the front clasp of her bra, and pause for a long moment, waiting to see if she's changed her mind and wants me to stop.  
  
Instead I'm shocked when Kim's small hands come to rest over mine, and she guides my hands into opening the plastic fastener. Carefully I peel the satin away and stare at what I have always known would be the most perfect breasts on the planet, and elsewhere, considering how many places the rangers have gone to. Without conscious thought, I find my hands reaching up and palming the light weight of them. The softness of them is incredible, and I can't help squeezing them to better appreciate them.  
  
"Ohhhh, God Tommy that feels so good," Kim moans.  
  
I glance up at her and see her head lolling back, her eyes shut. The feel of her sends my senses reeling as she arches herself farther into me.  
  
Kim moans and sighs, and I am lost in the feel of her. I nearly start as I feel something brush against my crotch, making me nearly moan. Abandoning Kim's breast, I glance down to find her nimble gymnast's foot rubbing me through my shorts and I shudder at the intensity of it.  
  
"Kimberly, please..." I stammer out as I try to get control of myself.  
  
The repressed sexual tension for the last three years is finally breaking loose, and both Kim and I seem helpless but to follow our heart's and bodies' desires to come together.  
  
"I want you Tommy, please," Kim murmurs, as her eyes open and fix on mine, her light brown colored with passion and love.  
  
Nodding because I now can't seem to find my voice, I hook my fingers into the waistband of her panties and tug them down. As Kim scoots back onto the mattress, I slide out of my Jockey shorts and toss them aside. Slowly I lay down beside Kim, our full skin meeting, and we both moan at the contact. Even the first rush of morphing never sparked my nerve endings like this.  
  
Slowly I run a hand over Kim's shoulder, down her arm, then over her stomach. My fingers dance along her skin, and I'm surprised that sparks don't fly beneath my touch. Kim shifts restlessly beneath my touch, gasping and moaning as I hit certain spots along her body.  
  
Before we go any farther, there's still one final issue that I have to address.  
  
"Beautiful?" I whisper, awed by her very obvious enjoyment of my presence, my touch.  
  
"Tommy, what?" Kimberly murmurs almost distractedly, her eyes opening to look at me, the lips lowered half mast in lust.  
  
"I, you, I mean we're both vir... I mean we've never been with anyone," I fumble, and hope I'm not breaking the mood or making Kim feel embarrassed. "I want to make you feel special, make this special. I will do my best to not hurt you, I mean if you want to stop..."  
  
"I love you Tommy Oliver, for so many reasons, but especially for being so sweet about this. I want this. I want us to be together," Kim tells me softly, lovingly.  
  
"I love you Kim, so much," I answer before I crush her lips to mine, our open mouths slanting and tangling with each other.  
  
After I can't stand another breathless second, I pull away and search desperately at the bottom of the bed for where Kim dropped the condoms.  
  
Finished with that task, I turn back to find Kimberly laid out on the bed, her arms open and inviting me to her. With deliberate gentleness, I move to her embrace.  
  
My heart is thudding in my chest at a blinding pace, and I can't stand this any longer. We kiss more passionately as we finally cross that threshold of our relationship.  
  
While my heart soars, my mind can't wrap itself around the fact that Kim and I are making love, that she is my first and I am hers. Then suddenly Kim's groan and the sudden wall I meet inside her bring me back to the reality of the situation. Pain and blood.  
  
"Kim, are you okay?" I whisper against her lips, waiting for her approval.  
  
"Mmmm, yes, I'm okay," Kim answers, her voice tinged with discomfort but determined as well. "Don't stop."  
  
I shudder at the intensity of the feeling of being with her. I'm breathing hard and have to pull my lips from Kim's to take in a deep gulp of air.  
  
My eyes flicker open and I stare at Kim, her head thrown back, eyes shut tight and hair spread about her like a fan.  
  
Kim's hands scrabble against my back and I feel her small nails scratch at my skin, making me shudder. Minutes later we're exploding in ecstasy, Kim first with a moan turned growl and then I shout Kim's name and God's and a few swear words as the intense experience takes hold of me.  
  
Once I can open my eyes, I look down to see Kimberly looking up at me, her face flush and sweaty but very happy and fulfilled. The smile I see there makes my heart expand nearly to bursting, and I bring my hand up to cradle her face.  
  
"I love you," Kim says as her breathing starts to slow.  
  
"I love you too Beautiful."  
  
As we lie next to each other, coming down from the euphoria, I watch Kim's eyes dance as we gaze at each other. Loathe as I am to move, I pull away from Kim and get up, and pad into the bathroom to clean up.  
  
I click on the light and see myself, covered in sweat, both mine and Kim's, and I can't suppress the grin that covers my face. Tossing the condom in the trash, I wet a washcloth and wipe the slight red streaks from my thighs, dropping the cloth in the sink and grabbing another to take to Kim. From behind, I feel soft, strong arms wrap around my waist, and I turn to see Kim there, glowing and happy.  
  
"You okay?" I ask quietly, still not wanting to break the afterglow of this moment, as I hand her the cloth.  
  
"Better than okay," she replies with that velvet tone I love.  
  
"Should I give you a minute?"  
  
A slight flush covers her cheeks, and I know that she's fighting between accepting my offer and not wanting to be away from one another for a second. Part of the reason I know is that I feel the same way.  
  
"No, just let me..." she murmurs as she runs the cloth under the warm water, and starts to turn from my sight.  
  
I catch her hand and turn her back to me. A questioning look appears in her eyes as the flush deepens.  
  
"May I?"  
  
With a tentative nod, she agrees. But rather than taking the wet cloth from her hand, I grip her waist and set her petite ass on the counter. Only then do I accept the terrycloth wash cloth and move to tenderly clean the signs of the gift my Kim gave to me from her body.  
  
After I have her clean and dried, we wander back to the bed. I pull back the tangled mess of blankets and sheets so we can get underneath. We finally curl up under the sheets and Kim lays her head on my chest as we settle in for the night, knowing come morning I'll change my flight, get her a ticket and we'll be heading home. Together.  
  
----------  
  
Clutching Kim's hand, we sat in our less than comfortable seats and watched the boring action film aimlessly on the flight back to Angel Grove. It's real hard to treat them seriously when you've spent three years of your life living something a lot more real.  
  
Since we'd woken up this morning, checked out of the motel and headed for the airport I have barely let her hand or some part of her out of my reach. I'd always wondered if once Kim and I crossed that line how much it would change our relationship. I'd never thought that it would have cemented every emotion we'd had for one another for the last 3 years as it has. More now than ever I can see my future with this amazing woman seated by my side.  
  
I feel something brush against my cheek and then glance down to see Kim rest her head on my shoulder. The weight of her resting there seems the most natural thing in the world to me, and I don't know how I would give it up now.  
  
We have to make my parents and hers understand how much we need to stay together.  
  
"You okay?" I hear her whisper.  
  
"Hmm, yeah, I'm good. How are you Beautiful?" I reply as I brush my free hand against her cheek, remembering the feel of her skin against mine last night.  
  
"Good. Happy," she says as she smiles up at me, melting my heart and making me shift a bit in my seat.  
  
"Looking forward to being home?"  
  
"Tommy, home is wherever you are."  
  
My throat goes dry at that. The power of that statement is as significant as telling her how much I wanted her, loved her the first time. To think that she feels like this means the world to me, since I feel pretty much the same about her.  
  
"I know the feeling. But the gang will be there, well except for Billy and Aisha. And I'll talk to Zordon once we get back to Angel Grove. I know that I can convince him that you should come back. I mean, you're one of the original team, you've proven yourself to him and us a thousand times over. I just know we'll find a way for you to come back to the team, okay?"  
  
"Okay. And I am looking forward to seeing the guys. I missed you all so much since Christmas."  
  
"Well, we'll be home in a few hours, and then we can start making plans for the future."  
  
"Sounds good," she replies, and then starts to yawn, her small hand coming up to cover her mouth.  
  
"Hey, you didn't get a lot of sleep last night," I remark with a knowing grin and watch her blush slightly, "why don't you catch a nap?"  
  
"You didn't sleep much either," she shoots back, sounding so much more like my Kim than she did yesterday before she walked into my room that first time. "How about you nap and I'll nap on you?"  
  
I catch her hand with mine and bring it to my lips, planting a soft kiss on the back of it.  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me Beautiful."  
  
With a flush and a brilliant smile, she snuggles further into me and closes her eyes. After watching her for long moments, I close my own eyes and allow myself to drift off, content in her presence. Maybe this plane ride won't be as long as I thought it would be.  
  
----------  
  
The first thing we do when we reach Angel Grove early in the afternoon is stop at my parents and drop our luggage, a bit wiped out from all the traveling. The house is empty except for us and one thing leads to another, and we end up being more exhausted after than we were before.  
  
I know that there's a long list of things to do, so the first thing on my agenda is addressing the issue of Kim and the team. After I get dressed in my normal 'red' ranger attire, for which Kim stares at me a bit funny, I give her a kiss and teleport to the Command Center.  
  
Standing in the Command Center, looking up at Zordon, I feel my throat catch before I voice the words that I never hoped I'd say.  
  
"Zordon, Kim wants to come back."  
  
"DID KIMBERLY TELL YOU WHY SHE HAS MADE THIS DECISION?" Zordon asked in his usual benevolent tone.  
  
"She did, but I don't think it's my place to explain. I simply wanted to ask you before Kim came to talk to you if there was a way, outside of one of us giving her our power to bring her back to the team?" I questioned, my heart in my throat as I waited for the answer.  
  
There was a long pause, and I wondered what was going on. The last time Zordon had been this thoughtful was when we last changed powers. Did that mean...  
  
"TOMMY, THERE IS SOMETHING PERHAPS WE SHOULD DISCUSS BEFORE I BRING KIMBERLY TO THE COMMAND CENTER."  
  
I nodded, waiting to hear something I knew was going to change my life.  
  
"I'VE BEEN CONTACTED BY A MEMBER OF AN ANCIENT RACE FROM A PLANET AT THE OTHER END OF THE UNIVERSE. HE IS THE HOLDER OF THE GOLD RANGER POWERS. THESE POWERS ARE VERY POWERFUL, MORE SO THAN EVEN YOUR ZEO ONE RANGER POWERS. DO YOU FEEL KIMBERLY COULD WIELD THEM?"  
  
I nearly fell over at that announcement. There was a power. One that Kim could have. We could be back together on all fronts. I paused for a moment, pondering Zordon's last statement.  
  
"Is there a reason you think Kim couldn't handle the Gold ranger powers?" I asked seriously, worried now at Zordon's concern.  
  
"SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH MUCH SINCE SHE LEFT ANGEL GROVE. WHILE THE KIMBERLY HART THAT LEFT US WOULD BE MORE THAN SUITABLE, I ASK YOU TOMMY, AS LEADER OF THE ZEO RANGERS, IS THE WOMAN KIMBERLY IS NOW BE ABLE TO BEAR THE BURDEN OF THE POWER AGAIN?"  
  
I stood there for long minutes as I started to wonder if the last 2 months might have permanently impaired Kim's self-determination, the spirit that always made her the most resilient of the rangers. Then I mentally kicked myself. I know for a fact that our time together has made a difference in Kim's outlook. The last two days, from all appearances seems to have erased the last 2 months, and the way Kim behaved with the rest of the team today at lunch wasn't an act. She *is* who she used to be, and more so.  
  
"I trust her with them Zordon."  
  
"AND I TRUST YOUR JUDGEMENT."  
  
Suddenly there's a flash of black and gold, and I look to see Kim beside me. She flings herself into my arms, then looks to Zordon with an overwhelmed smile.  
  
"Oh Zordon," Kim says, tears in her eyes as she pulls away, but takes my hand, holding it tightly. "It's so good to see you."  
  
"AND YOU AS WELL KIMBERLY," Zordon replies, his voice almost sounding fatherly. "TOMMY HAS INFORMED ME THAT IT IS YOUR WISH TO RETURN TO THE RANGERS."  
  
"It is. I had a lot of time to think in Florida, and what I found was that the sacrifices I made for my dream weren't worth it. I was happy with my life before I left, and my dream wasn't what I thought I wanted. It wasn't until I gave up everything that I could really compare what I had and what I wanted. I realize now that everything I ever wanted is here in Angel Grove - Tommy, my friends, and the team. I want to keep all of them safe. And the best way I know how is to join the rangers again. If you'll have me."  
  
Kim glanced down and then looked up at me with both excitement and fear in her eyes. I smiled and tightened my grip on her hand in what I hoped was a show of support.  
  
"KIMBERLY, I SEE AGAIN WHY I CHOSE YOU THOSE MANY YEARS AGO AS THE PINK RANGER. YOUR HEART AND COURAGE HAVE NO LIMIT. WHILE THERE IS NO PLACE FOR YOU WITH THE ZEO RANGERS, I DO HAVE A ROLE FOR YOU TO PLAY."  
  
I heard a gasp beside me, and I looked to see Kim's frown beginning. I was sure she was thinking the worst. Since Zordon hadn't said I had to stay out of it, I decided to speak.  
  
"It's not what you think," I hurriedly told her, turning her towards me so I could see her in front of me. "It is a power, just not a Zeo power."  
  
Before I could raise her head with my hand, Kim's head snapped up. Her eyes stared into mine, the tears visible in her brown eyes as she searched mine, looking for the honesty she knew she should find there.  
  
"Really?" she asked, sounding like a small child.  
  
"YES KIMBERLY. TOMMY SPEAKS TRULY. THE GOLD RANGER FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE UNIVERSE HAS RECENTLY COME TO ME IN SEARCH OF A CANDIDATE TO BESTOW HIS POWERS ON. BOTH TOMMY AND I AGREE THAT WE COULD NOT FIND A BETTER, MORE CARING AND DESERVING PERSON TO ASSUME THE GOLD RANGER'S MANTLE."  
  
Again I find myself looking into the joy filled eyes of the woman I love more than my own life. And finally, after everything I see all of her within their depths. I never realized just how much of her was a ranger until I saw her when she wasn't one. I imagine it was similar to the times I lost the green ranger powers and she stood by me.  
  
"How, when, I mean..." she started to rattle off, maybe more animated than she had been in my arms in bed yesterday afternoon. As I think back, I grin and change that opinion. Close, but not quite.  
  
"IT MAY TAKE A FEW DAYS TO SET UP THE POWER TRANSFER WITH THE GOLD RANGER, BUT I WILL CONTACT HIM TO LET HIM KNOW I HAVE FOUND A CANDIDATE."  
  
"This is so great!" Kim yells, throwing herself at me again. "I'm finally going to be back with the team."  
  
"Yeah Beautiful, you are," I reply happily, "and this is only the beginning. Once we get your housing settled, there won't be anything left to keep us apart."  
  
With that, I nodded up to Zordon and he teleported Kim back to the park as I followed in my red Zeo transport right behind her. We still had a lot to do  
  
and not a lot of time today to do it in. Next will be Kim's mom and then my family.  
  
Oh boy.  
  
----------  
  
My mom once told me that the road to hell was paved with good intentions. I never really though much about it until today, as I stand here listening to her and my dad lecture me in between bouts of yelling and silent staring.  
  
Now, after asking them for permission to move Kim into our guest room until graduation, I'm learning exactly the meaning of the phrase. Kim had offered to come with me, but I thought this was something that I needed to do alone, so I sent her to the Juice Bar to meet up with the rest of the team and tell them about the Gold Ranger powers.  
  
I'm glad I made that decision, because even after our promise to make this work, Kim would probably be considering running back to Miami or Paris at this rate, and leave me in her wake.  
  
"Thomas James Oliver, what in the hell were you thinking?" mom yells again, and I shudder. I'm eternally glad that no one is here to see the mighty leader of the Zeo Rangers cowed by his mother. "You seriously expect us to allow you to move your girlfriend into our house, and allow God knows what kind of inappropriate behavior to take place under our roof?"  
  
"What did Kim's mother have to say about this?" asks my dad, trying to be a bit more reasonable than my high-strung mom.  
  
I drop my gaze and my foot scuffs the carpet. I was really hoping they wouldn't ask this question yet, but I knew it was coming. Sighing I look up and see anxious and heated faces watching me.  
  
"Kim was going to call her mom from Florida, but..."  
  
"But?" my mom asks, focusing in on my discomfort.  
  
"I ended up getting my return ticket changed to come back earlier, so we didn't call until we got back to Angel Grove."  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"She wasn't thrilled about the idea..."  
  
That's probably the understatement of the year. I remember Kim and I sitting on the sofa that's behind me, talking to Mrs. Dumas in Paris. Kim just about held the phone as far from her ear as her arm would allow when her mom announced her 'displeasure' at the thought of her little girl living with her boyfriend and his folks'.  
  
That might have been it, if I hadn't made Kim a promise that I intended to keep. We were going to make this work, because we had no other option. I couldn't live with her in Paris, just like I had hated her being in Florida, and Kim felt the same.  
  
So we spent the better part of an hour calming her down and then another hour bombarding her with logical, solid reasons why this made sense.  
  
"But we finally got her to agree to leave it to your better judgment, since Kim and I would be here, under your roof, not hers."  
  
Mom's jaw nearly dropped at my announcement and dad just seemed to stare at me. Okay, so I know that most of the time I'm not the adult that I am as the leader of the rangers. But the last few months have made me have to grow up, and nearly losing Kim made me really get my shit together, if you know what I mean.  
  
"Look mom, dad, I'm sure you're thinking a lot of things right now, and that this whole idea must seem insane. But I need you to look at this from my point of view for a minute," I begin, deciding that I need them to truly understand my motives for this, and hope that some of Billy's logical thinking rubbed off on me over the years. "Kim and I tried being apart. It was more than difficult, it nearly ripped us both into pieces. So, since Kim has left the training program, she has two choices, find somewhere in Angel Grove to stay while she finishes high school or head to Paris to stay with her mom."  
  
My mom looks at me like I'm telling her something she already knew, but my dad seems genuinely interested in where I'm going with this. Good, I'm going to need his help here.  
  
"Most of the people she knows in Angel Grove either don't have room for her or just can't let her stay. We have a guest room and you guys have always considered her family."  
  
"But Tommy, it's not as easy as that. I can't condone you and her... "my mom starts to boldly state, then trails off before she actually says the words I know are on her mind.  
  
"Having sex in your house?" I throw out, making my mom blush and frown and my dad stare at his feet. Time to slam dunk this issue, even if I have to embarrass myself to do it. "Mom, it's not like we couldn't find a way to sleep together, if that's really what you're worried about."  
  
I watch my mom's face go as pale as my old white ranger uniform. My dad on the other hand gives me a smirk that looks like I may have hit on something here. Hell, he and mom have been known to spend a nice evening alone when I'm out, and I doubt they just sit and talk. The shock of my statement doesn't take long to wear off however.  
  
"So have you and Kim been sleeping together?" my dad asks suddenly, and I find it's my turn to feel my blood burn under my skin.  
  
"Do you really want me to answer that?" I throw back defensively.  
  
My mom looks sort of helplessly at my dad. I guess they really didn't need me to answer. I'm glad because I don't know if I could have told them that Kim and I had already been intimate in Florida, and had tried out my bed a bit earlier this afternoon when they'd still been at work.  
  
"Mom, Dad, I want you guys to understand something. I'm in love with Kim. Her being here in this house is temporary. As soon as we graduate, we'll both be moving out, getting jobs and going to college. And sometime this year, I'll probably ask her to marry me. So you need to get comfortable with the idea of us sleeping together. Especially if you figure on having grandkids after we get out of college."  
  
The silence is deafening. I don't think, even through my request for the money to see Kim that they really understood the depth of my relationship with Kimberly. My declaration has now woken them up to the fact that this isn't a high school crush or first love that will pass. Kim and I are in it for the long haul and this is just the beginning.  
  
"Tommy, are you sure you understand what you're saying?" mom asks, still a bit overwhelmed by my announcement.  
  
"Yes mom, I do. Come on, you knew you and dad were meant for each other when you met. I've heard the story a million times. So why is it so hard to believe that Kim and I could be sure about us?"  
  
There was another round of silence, but this time it seemed more thoughtful than embarrassed. I watched as they looked at each other, and I saw for the first time in them what I felt with Kim. A partnership based on enduring love that was stronger than anything. That had weathered bad times and flourished in good. So I knew they had to understand. How could they not?  
  
"Tommy, let your mom and I talk about this some more, all right? We'll give you and Kim an answer over dinner," my dad stated.  
  
Reluctantly I nodded and turned for the door. I glanced at my watch before I headed out, planning on meeting Kim and the gang at the Juice Bar with the news of my parent's non-decision. An hour. My whole life will change in an hour.  
  
With that, I closed the door behind me and headed for Ernie's.  
  
---------  
  
I met up at the Juice Bar with Kim and the rest of the team after I left my folks. As I walked to the table, I saw not only her anxious face, but that of the rest of the team.  
  
"They're thinking about it," I announced as I pulled out a seat next to Kim and Adam. My elbows hit the hard table and my chin found its way to my hands.  
  
"Your parents are fair people Tommy, I can't imagine that they'd turn Kim away in the long run," Adam said sincerely, patting my back.  
  
"Besides, now that Kim's back with the team, she has to stay in town," Rocky stated bluntly, his determination at having Kim back with the team obvious in his comment.  
  
"I'm so glad that Zordon found a way for you to come back," Kat says softly, and I know that she probably was a little relieved that Kim wasn't back looking for her Zeo power.  
  
"Well, being pink isn't all there is to being a ranger, is it?" Kim quips, giving a wink to Kat and I know now that they're all right with the situation.  
  
"So, what are you going to do if Tommy's parents turn you guys down?" asks Tanya, brushing her dark hair from her face as she reaches for her soda.  
  
"We'll figure something out. Maybe we could go to Kim's dad or something," I muse out loud.  
  
Kim turns her gaze towards me and I see the apprehension to that plan in her face. She loves her dad, I know, but he's hurt her a lot in how he's neglected her. Fuck, who am I to talk, when I spent the last two months doing the same thing. I mentally kick myself for that stupidity again, knowing that its going to be a long time before I feel like I've made up for it with her.  
  
"What about Billy's family? I know that he's gone, so maybe Kim could stay there?" Rocky suggests in his not so helpful way before chomping down on his burger.  
  
"Maybe, but without Billy there, it might seem too much of an imposition," Kim remarks sullenly. "I just wish that he or Trini were here, then it would be easier."  
  
"I'm sorry that we couldn't have you stay with us Kim," says Adam, smiling that ever shy smile at my girl. Lucky I know he means nothing but friendship by it.  
  
"Same here," adds Rocky.  
  
"But we're here if you need support for anything. We're a team, remember that," says Kat, making sure Kim knows she really means it.  
  
"Thanks," Kim replies, taking Kat's hand in hers and gripping it. She glances around the table, her eyes a bit misty at the warm welcome from the team that she had been so afraid wouldn't be here. "Thanks guys. It really means a lot to me that you're here for me."  
  
I stare at Kim, and then look at the faces of the team. Everyone is obviously glad she's back, no one more than myself. The cohesiveness that Kim was afraid would be lost is here, even between Kim and Kat, which I am grateful for. I know that its has to be hard on Kim to come back, to see Kat with her pink communicator and the power that would have been hers had she stayed. Kim made her choice to turn over her Pink Ninjetti powers to Kat when she left for Florida, but it I can't help but worry what emotions it must bring up for her, reminding her of what she sacrificed for a dream that she now realizes she never truly wanted.  
  
Looking at the clock against the far wall, I notice that it is ten till six, and mom sets dinner out at six sharp. If we're late, it will only prove to them that we're not responsible, and paint our relationship in a bad light their minds.  
  
"We need to go, we're expected at my house for dinner. Dad promised us an answer about Kim staying with us."  
  
"Good luck," Rocky said in a smart-alec way that made Kim cuff him lightly with a hand to his head.  
  
Taking Kim's hand, we head out for my folks, and hopefully our home for the next 3 months as well.  
  
---------  
  
As we walk into the house, I smell lasagna, and I fear the worst. It takes mom a good hour to make it, and unless they talked while she cooked, there wasn't really enough time for her to do that after she and dad discussed Kim staying with us.  
  
"Mom, Dad?" I call from the door as Kim trails behind me, her eyes darting from the kitchen to me and back again. I guess she's thinking the same thing.  
  
"Sit down kids, dinner will be done in a minute," says my dad from the kitchen.  
  
My brows raise at that. First that dad called us 'kids', like he used to do when Kim and I first started dating. Then that he's in the kitchen, which is a shock in itself. Looking to Kim, I grin as I notice her mouth has fallen open a bit, and I can't help but take advantage of the situation, leaning over and sealing my lips over hers, my tongue hoping for a formal invitation.  
  
The slide of hers over mine gives me that, and for long moments we're caught up in the rush of mouth on mouth, breath on breath. A loud cough from the door to the dining room brings us instantly back to reality, and I see my dad looking at us with another of those smirks.  
  
"I had to help your mom, or dinner wouldn't have been ready on time. So why don't you sit down and we'll bring in the food," dad says, setting down a pitcher of water and a basket of French bread.  
  
Kim and I take our regular seats, me at the end of the table and Kim to my right, mirroring dad and mom's seating. I watch as mom comes in with a large pan and smell the lasagna as she sets it down near her seat. Dad then comes back in with the salad and sits as well.  
  
I glance at Kim as my folks go through a regular dinner night, serving and passing food around like there had been no discussion and Kim's fate didn't rest in their hands. It was like many meals before that we'd spent during the years we dated, and it was starting to unnerve me.  
  
"Mom, dad, I thought you said you were going to make a decision about Kim," I start as my mom hands me the salad bowl.  
  
"We can eat and talk Tommy," mom says as she reaches for the bread and after taking a piece hands the basket to Kim with what suspiciously looks like a small smile.  
  
There doesn't seem to be much more I can say to start the matter, and I think that if they were kicking Kim out that we wouldn't have gotten dinner, let alone wait until we start eating. I guess the decision is reasonable dinner conversation...  
  
"Tommy, your mom and I have thought about this, and discussed the situation fully, and we've come to a decision."  
  
Before I know it, Kim's hand is covering mine on the table, and I feel my heart thud in my chest.  
  
"While we would much rather you two wait until later, we understand that Kim needs a place to stay while she finishes school. You made it quite clear that this was a temporary arrangement, and laid out your long term plans," dad explains, and I love him for not spilling it all to Kim just yet. "There's no way even if Kim was living somewhere else in town that you couldn't be having sex in your car or who knows where. So, as long as you promise that you'll be safe and keep things low-key, we can't turn Kim away just because of our concerns about your sex lives."  
  
In a heartbeat I'm up and hugging dad and then mom as I realize that Kim is really staying. That I don't have to lose her again, and I feel a huge weight lift from my chest that I hadn't realized was there.  
  
"Thank you," says Kim sincerely to my parents, and I watch as my mom reaches over and takes her hand.  
  
"Actually Kim, we really need to thank you. It wasn't until you walked in tonight with Tommy that we realized that he really wasn't happy without you," mom says, her eyes clear as she brings up something that I never thought she had noticed. "So, we seem to owe you a lot more than just a place to live for a while."  
  
At that, Kim gets up and my mom stands and they meet at the corner of the table, Kim wrapping her arms around my mom. In a second they are embracing tightly, my mom's eyes looking at me over Kim's shoulder. My mouth goes dry as I see there an understanding that wasn't there before. She knows that I wasn't kidding earlier. That Kim is just probably months away from being my fiancé, and that I need her in my life.  
  
"So, I guess after dinner Kim has some unpacking to do," dad says, coming behind me and looping his arm over my shoulder.  
  
Kim breaks away from my mom and turns towards me with a soft, warm look that melts my insides. As I watch her look at me, I can't imagine being without her, and I'm so glad that I refused to let her go.  
  
Plus, with a wicked thought as we all start back to our seats to finish dinner, I wonder if my bed or hers will get used the most.  
  
END 


	3. Chapter 3 After All That We’ve Been Thro...

3/9/2004  
  
From: J. Trevizo - jtrevizo_1013@yahoo.com  
  
Subject: New story – After All That We've Been Through  
  
Rating: PG-13 for language and suggested sexual activities.  
  
Spoilers: This jumps from the Turbo movie to Passing of the Torch. I'm taking GREAT liberties with the series, putting the end of Shift Into Turbo intermixed with Passing of the Torch, and skipping lots of episodes. Plus, I want it made clear that I did not see any of the episodes following AJJ's departure from the show, which puts my history in a serious AU situation.  
  
Author's Note: This is the sequel to "Paved With Good Intentions".  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Saban Entertainment does, or supposedly Disney now does. Which seems to me a bit strange, as Disney was all about non-violent kids entertainment, and every parents group on the planet bashed PR for being too violent. Go figure. But they aren't your morning show "fluff" here.  
  
Relationship: T/Kim ship.  
  
Summary: Even if you've journeyed down the wrong paths, sometimes you get the chance to fix your mistakes, and get what you need in your life to make you a better person.  
  
Dedication: Again - To Cheryl, Shawn, and Irina for their inspiring work. Also, to my new fans, especially Jess for the kind words on FF.net regarding this series. Lastly though, to my indulgent husband, who while won't read any of these fics, will always be the Tommy to my Kim.  
  
Hello fellow PR fans. I never intended to write more than the first story, but somehow it's taken on a life of its own. So, I present part 3. This starts off months after Paved finishes – right around graduation. I've played with the lexicon a lot, but will fill in the details of the last few months with my version. I hope you enjoy. Now, on with the show...  
  
After All That We've Been Through By J. Trevizo  
  
This is it, I thought as I shifted in my seat. Graduation and the start of new things.  
  
By now things in Angel Grove have settled into a familiar, although not always pleasant pattern. Of course being a ranger never has been easy. The last couple of months however have been a true exercise in how 'unfun' ranger life can be.  
  
My being kidnapped and brainwashed *again*, this time by Prince Gasket, was probably the second least favorite event that happened in the last few months. The whole being evil thing has worn thin by this point in my 'career'. As usual, Kim was there to save my ass. I guess having a guardian angel isn't so hard to live with, when I get to have her as that angel.  
  
So, for a little while it was the Zeo team and the Gold Ranger kicking ass and taking names, Kim and I, together again with the rest of the team, just like it should have been. Occasionally though, I'd notice Kim looking at Kat in her pink Zeo uniform.  
  
I asked her one night in what passed now for 'our' bed, whether or not she would ever be okay with not being given back the pink ranger mantle when she returned. She has simply smiled at me with that loving, happy way of hers and nodded her head yes.  
  
I ended up teasing her under the covers, my fingers playing over her naked flesh, dipping into delicate, sensitive areas, making us both breathe faster as I questioned her more on her answer.  
  
"Are you sure about that? I mean, while you look hot in black, you always seemed comfortable in pink," I questioned.  
  
"I just need to be there for you and the team. What color I wear really isn't the issue."  
  
That was the last of talking about the subject, or any subject to be honest, that night. I was surprised at Kim's answer, but I understand exactly what she meant. I've been green, white and red, but all along I was fundamentally me under whatever color uniform I wore. Being a part of the team, making a difference was what mattered, not which color my uniform was. Although, I still hate wearing red.  
  
Oh, and I cut my hair. Not spikes like I wanted to, but the ponytail is gone and I have it just above my shoulders, and its' gotten wavy since I cut it. Kim was less than thrilled, but its' been a lot easier getting it under my helmet.  
  
So things were rolling along smoothly; Kim and I were together in every way we could be. We were passing biology and geometry, on our way to getting our diplomas while we were saving the world and making after high school plans. I should have known that it was too good to last.  
  
Then my least favorite event in the last few months occurred... I almost lost Kim. Permanently.  
  
The Gold Ranger powers had turned on her, and she got sick when she used them. I did my best to be there for her. I sat by her bedside during the worst of it, wiping her off with a cold rag to cool her fever and holding her close in my embrace when the shakes hit. There was a point there that I was ready to cut of my right arm to make the pain go away for more than a few hours.  
  
Finally I had to make the decision I had been fighting against. With Zordon's help, I decided we had to convince Kim to give up her struggle to keep the power. It was the first and only time I felt like I'd betrayed her, and I hated every second of it. But as we sit here, now, waiting for our diplomas, I know that if I hadn't, the seat next to me today would be conspicuously empty.  
  
Of course, that couldn't be all. No, a ranger's life doesn't usually have more than a short period of time where things are calm and simple. Kim was dealing with the loss of her Gold Ranger powers when Jason arrived in town. With the rest of the team busy with a new crisis, Kim decided to take him up on an offer to go scuba diving. She was hoping the diversion would help her start dealing with life without powers again. The next thing we knew the new big bad, Divatox showed up and kidnapped them. I was just about out of my mind. My best friend and my lover held captive by a Rita wanna-be. Oh, and let's not forget that Rocky got injured practicing for the charity martial arts tournament, leaving us one ranger short.  
  
So we ended up needing something more than our Zeo powers, and Zordon came through just like he always did, with the Turbo powers. And a new ranger. I confess, I wouldn't have picked Justin, but he's done his best to pull his weight. And he helped me save Kim.  
  
When we got to the island, Muranthias, where Divatox was going to sacrifice Jase and Kim to her new 'hubby' Maligore, we didn't get to them in time. As Kim was lowered into that pit, I thought my life was over.  
  
When she and Jase reappeared, my heart started again. Then she turned and broke her chains, and I knew that this was bad. Really bad.  
  
As I stared at Kimberly, I saw something I never thought I would see in those beautiful eyes, now turned flame red rather than doe brown - hatred. And it was focused at me. She said some spiteful things, and referred to Kat's initial crush on me and suggested that I had been unfaithful to her when she was in Florida.  
  
I knew it wasn't really her saying those things, but some part of me wondered if in fact that she thought somewhere deep down I really was guilty of those things. It hurt as much as getting that letter did, more in fact to think she might actually have believed what she was saying could have been even partially true.  
  
In the hopes of throwing off whatever had possessed her, I removed my helmet and tried talking to her, but was shattered to find that her seeing my face, hearing my panicked voice wasn't enough to do it. As the recipient of being put under evil spells, I know that even love doesn't always break the spell. Actually, it rarely does. We're not living in a fairy tale. Even if Kim changed from calling me her knight in white armor to red.  
  
Luckily Lerigot broke the spell and once free of it, Kim and I helped rescue Jason. Once they were safe, the team and I took care of running off Divatox, and Jason even helped save the day with the charity event, filling in for Rocky.  
  
So, we thought great, we've saved Kim and Jase, kept the planet from being taken over and won a big check for the Angel Grove Youth Center, now things could go back to normal.  
  
Then another bomb drops on us.  
  
Zordon left.  
  
I know that the opportunity that Lerigot brought, being able to go home, was too much to resist. Having to choose staying with us or going home was a horrible choice, and I can't fault him for choosing to leave us. So before he left, he handed us over to Dimitira.  
  
Since then, she and Alpha 6 have been doing their best to help us keep Divatox at bay. And Kim and I have been even closer than before. We talked everything that we'd left unsaid out, and found ourselves deeper in love than before.  
  
Suddenly I notice something out of the corner of my eye, and I glance over and find that the woman I've loved for nearly four years is staring intently at me. The cap and gown do nothing for her, but I focus on the fawn colored eyes I adore and look past the fabric trash bags that she and I are stuck wearing. I guess wearing spandex sort of gets you spoiled for a more form fitting look.  
  
"What's going through that head of yours Beautiful?" I whisper carefully as the band plays some sort of montage of movie soundtracks to introduce the next part of the speeches.  
  
"I was just thinking of what would have happened if you hadn't come to Florida for an explanation."  
  
I bite my lip as I feel the dark emotions roll over me. This subject still comes up every once in a while, and I think Kim still feels a bit guilty about how much her letter hurt me when I got it, even though we've worked to resolve the whole thing when I got her back all those months ago, and some more after the Muranthias incident. No matter how many times I've told her I understand what she must have been going through at the time, how much pressure Coach Schmidt had her under, she still takes the whole thing too much to heart.  
  
I wince inwardly at the bad pun with her name, then a nervous happiness starts to fill me to the point of overflowing.  
  
Without thinking, I let my right hand float towards the spot beneath the graduation gown where the hip pocket of my jeans is. As my hand rests there, out of sight of Kimberly, I feel the slight yet heavy weight of the diamond ring I bought two weeks ago.  
  
Mom and Dad, Kim's family, the team and even Jase, Trini and Zack know what's up. Everyone has done as I asked and kept my secret... that tonight, surrounded by everyone as we celebrate our graduation, I'm asking Kim to marry me.  
  
"Tommy," Kim's forceful whisper pulls me from my thoughts, and I look up to notice that Principal is at the podium and wrapping up his remarks about good citizenship and our future and is getting ready to give out the diplomas.  
  
With a grin, I reach over with my left hand and catch Kim's right with it. She squeezes it a little, and behind me I feel a finger poke into my back. Swinging my head around I find Rocky and Adam giving me a knowing smirk.  
  
"Come on leader-man, you need to stay alert here. We're almost up," Rocky announces with his regular humor.  
  
"Daydream later," comes Adam's soft baritone from my left, and I can't help but reach my hand back to catch his tightly.  
  
"Let's do this," I say as I hear 'Pomp and Circumstance' start up, and we stand and face our future.  
  
-----  
  
After the ceremony concluded, I don't think more than fifteen minutes had passed before our communicators went off. After making our excuses to our families, I glanced around, and Kim and the team followed me to the shade of the science building, assuming that we'd be mostly away from prying eyes as we answered the summons.  
  
"What's up Dimetria?"  
  
"PLEASE TELEPORT TO THE COMMAND CENTER, ALL OF YOU."  
  
We look around with concerned looks. Did something happen? There hadn't been any indication of an attack or anything. Stricken, we all nod, and after Kat takes Rocky's hand and I pull Kim to me, we all teleport together up to the command center.  
  
It still is strange to be here. After the old command center blew up, it was tough to get readjusted to this new place. It doesn't have the same memories as the original center did. I remember the first time I stood there, before I ripped the wiring out of the console, disrupting Zordon's warp and then trashed the place. Then there was my acceptance into the rangers after Jason had broken Rita's spell, and I joined the original team. Yet probably the most vivid memory is when I had been chosen to become the White Ranger, and I stood before the team, taking off my helmet and watched Kim faint dead away. It was one of the moments that solidified our relationship.  
  
Right along with that day, standing along Angel Grove Lake when she told me that she missed me.  
  
Dimitira finally appeared in her warp, and then suddenly we heard a voice that we'd thought gone forever.  
  
"WELCOME RANGERS."  
  
"Zordon?" I asked tentatively, unsure my ears weren't playing tricks on me.  
  
"YES RANGERS. I ARRANGED WITH DIMITRIA TO RETURN FOR THIS MOMENTUS OCCASION."  
  
"What's that?" questioned Adam, looking from Tanya to me to Kat for some kind of understanding of what was going on.  
  
"YOU HAVE SERVED EARTH AND THE LEGACY OF POWER RANGERS ADMIRABLY. HOWEVER, YOUR PATHS NOW WILL BEGIN TO DIVERGE AS YOU STEP INTO THE NEW PHASE OF YOUR LIVES. THEREFORE, IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THAT YOU SHOULD BE RELIEVED OF YOUR DUTIES AS RANGERS," announced Zordon.  
  
There were a lot of shocked gasps and yells around me, but I really didn't hear them. My head nearly whip lashed as I turned to Kim. The last thing I was concerned with in regards to our future – my being a ranger while she sat on the sidelines was being erased. Once I passed on my mantle to another, she and I could be free to live our lives however we saw fit. We could have kids and not fear that they'd be a target of reprisals, since we would no longer be rangers.  
  
Still, there was part of me that was afraid of not being a ranger. After all these years, could I be just a normal person again? Would Kim love me any less for giving up my powers just to accept the safety that it would hopefully offer us? Would I still be me if I wasn't a ranger?  
  
"Tommy, are you okay?" Kim whispered at my side, pulling herself closer to me as I refocused on her concerned look.  
  
"I was just thinking," I began, and started to censor my thoughts, then changed my mind, "will this make a difference? Will I still be the man you love if I'm not a ranger?"  
  
The next thing I knew I was being graced with Kim's most brilliant smile.  
  
"When I stood at Angel Grove Lake all those years ago, I didn't care if you had powers or not. I've always loved you, not the ranger, but 'you'. The hero has always been inside of you, not inside a morpher."  
  
I bent my head and leaned into her, finally at peace with the idea of being without some kind of power. Letting others fight the good fight while I lived out my dreams with Kim. Finally I pulled away and turned to look at the rest of the team. Adam had been a ranger longest, after me. I wanted to see what he was feeling, as well as the others.  
  
What I found was a bunch of shocked, but happy rangers.  
  
I knew that we all had things we wanted to do, dreams that we couldn't follow because of our ranger duties. Now, we wouldn't have to make the kind of decision that Jason, Trini, Zack, Kim and Aisha had made – to stay with the team or follow our hearts.  
  
"Everybody okay with this?" I finally asked, looking to each of the team one by one.  
  
"We've done our part, I think I'm ready to let someone else take my place," announced Adam, coming to place his hand on my shoulder, supporting his statement with that simple gesture.  
  
"I want to do so much now, and with this chance, I'll be able to do those things without feeling I betrayed the team by leaving," stated Tanya, glancing apologetically at Kim as she said them, making sure Kim knew she wasn't directing those statements at her.  
  
Kim reached over and took Tanya's hand and smiled. Tanya squeezed it hard and smiled back in understanding. Then Kat moved to them as well, and looked Kim in the eyes.  
  
"I was given the chance to be a ranger by Kim. I'll always be thankful for her for entrusting those powers to me. But I'm ready to move on too," Kat softly said.  
  
Kim pulled from my grasp and she and Kat hug. I know that after Kim got back from Muranthias, she and Kat had a long talk, and I guess they put everything in the past. Finally they pull apart and Kim comes back to my welcoming embrace. Suddenly, as I look at Rocky, I realize we're one ranger short.  
  
"What about Justin?" I ask, curiously.  
  
"Justin has not served with the team for very long, and still can be an asset to the new rangers," answered Dimitira, finally speaking up since her summons brought us here.  
  
"BASED ON RECENT EVENTS, DIMITRIA AND I HAVE SEARCHED FOR SUITABLE CANDIDATES FOR YOUR POWERS. WE HAVE LOCATED FOUR SUCH INDIVIDUALS, AND NOW ASK FOR YOUR CONFIRMATION IN HANDING THE POWER TO THEM," explained Zordon.  
  
"IF YOU APPROVE, THEN IT WILL BE YOUR CHOICE WHOM TO BESTOW YOUR POWERS ON," Dimitria added.  
  
We all looked at each other and nodded our approval of the idea. Then, above us we were slightly blinded by blue and white light. Finally the light subsided, and we all strained to see four figures standing on the alcove above the command center floor. As our sight adjusted, another round of shocked gasps, yells and other exclamations broke from our lips.  
  
There, above us stand Kat and my rescuers just a few days ago – T.J., Cassie, Carlos and Ashley. They'd put themselves into harms way to help us, and now they were getting a reward that even they couldn't have anticipated.  
  
"DO YOU ACCEPT THE NEW RANGER CANDIDATES?"  
  
Nods of heads greet my gaze as I check with everyone in a heartbeat.  
  
"They do Zordon. They're fine choices for rangers," I reply for us all.  
  
"THEN YOU NOW NEED TO CHOSE YOUR SUCESSORS," announced Dimitria, pushing us closer to the final act of closure. "TOMMY, AS LEADER, YOU MUST MAKE YOUR CHOICE FIRST."  
  
I glance at Kimberly and find her fighting off tears but smiling. I know the feeling Beautiful, I think and then turn back to make one of the most difficult decisions of my life.  
  
"I select T.J. to replace me as the Red Ranger," I announce, staring at the young black man as I remember his natural leading abilities that he displayed in my rescue.  
  
"I choose Carlos as the new Green Ranger," Adam says next, giving the male Latino teenager a thumbs-up sign.  
  
"Cassie should be the next Pink Ranger," Katherine offers, looking to Kim in silent confirmation of the former pink ranger's approval of the dark hair Asian girl.  
  
"And Ashley will be the Yellow Ranger," Tanya confirmed, closing the deal in her selection of the ash-blonde young woman.  
  
'NOW THAT THE SELECTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE, THE POWER WILL NOW BE TRANSFERRED," spoke Zordon.  
  
Suddenly Tanya, Kat, Adam and I found we were glowing in the shade of our ranger colors, then we weren't, and the colors enveloped our counterparts, morphing them into uniform. For a moment, I concentrated on that place inside where when I had the power I always felt it, almost hoping to find something. But instead I felt a similar absence; such as I had when I'd lost the Green Ranger powers all those years ago.  
  
Except that this time, it didn't feel the same. That part of me that had held the power felt different, but it wasn't as if there was a gaping hole. I'd voluntarily decided to give up the power, not had it wrenched away violently. The difference seemed to allow me to deal with it better than I had before.  
  
Before I could form my next thought, I felt two petite arms surround me. I turned to find Kimberly staring at me with a hopeful expression.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked me, and I realized she probably was thinking of my state of mind after I'd lost the Green Ranger powers. How I'd gone off in solitude and nearly cut off contact with everyone, including her.  
  
I wasn't repeating that mistake again. With her, I was able to deal with anything. It was when I was without her that I doubted and fell. And if I was planning on having us spend the rest of our lives together after today, I needed to share with her, rather than run from her.  
  
"Yeah, it's not like before," I tried to explain fearing words would be inadequate.  
  
"You just feel like something's off, right?"  
  
I nodded, and reminded myself that after giving up the Pink Ranger powers, then the Gold Ranger mantle, my love knew just as much as I did about losing the power and how it felt. How many days had she attempted to put on a brave front to everyone once Zordon and I convinced her that keeping the Gold Ranger powers would kill her? I know that my being there, sharing with her the understanding of the same kind of experience had been more helpful than either of us had realized it would be.  
  
"But we've been there before," I remarked simply. "Besides, as long as I have you, I know I can survive anything."  
  
She smiled at that, and I pulled her closer to me. Then I sensed the others around me, and it ended up being a big group hug of rangers leaving their warrior days behind. Surreptitiously I glanced up to see the new rangers gone, and I realized that it was time to get back to the celebrations.  
  
"THANK YOU AGAIN RANGERS, FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE," Zordon quietly said, and then we found ourselves back outside Angel Grove high.  
  
It wasn't more than a few minutes later that we resigned ourselves to celebrate our graduation along with our time as rangers, and waded back into the swarm of friends, family and loved ones.  
  
-----  
  
The decision to have a party at the Juice Bar had been a given, but Ernie had made sure that the place was ours way before we'd thought to ask him.  
  
When Kim and I arrived with our parents, the place was nearly full of the rest of the team, their friends and family, and other guests. Streamers and balloons were hung all over the place, along with a huge "Congratulations" banner that looked hand made. I suspected that Ernie was a bit over- invested in our graduation party when Kim pointed out the colors – pink, red, green, blue and yellow.  
  
Again, I had to wonder if he knew something more about his regular teen customers than we realized.  
  
Once we walked in, we were immediately greeted with yells and applause. It almost felt like the day when the original rangers had been honored by the city. And while I hadn't been in uniform with them, I remember feeling the same pride in being appreciated, as they had to have.  
  
Thinking about that day brought me back to thinking about passing our powers just an hour or so ago. Even with the slightly dull feeling of being without our powers, I thought that all of us were still in good spirits with the feeling of hope for the future. I looked at Kim happily talking with Kat and Tanya, and reminded myself that we were here to celebrate. Hopefully more things than just our graduation.  
  
Now that we had handed off our powers and could do what we wanted; Tanya was talking about to some of her friends about going to L.A. and trying to get a recording contract, Rocky and Adam been discussing college and/or a business, maybe a dojo, but now seem really serious about doing it. When Kat had arrived with her parents, she announced that she'd received a letter offering her a space with Julliard in New York. We were all staring to make those plans for life after high school and life after being a ranger.  
  
And I was getting ready to hit Kim with the question of questions.  
  
Except I was waiting for just the right moment.  
  
Which might be right about now, I thought abruptly. Coming through the door, I see Jason, Zack and Trini walk into the party. They'd promised they'd do their best to get here before the ceremony, but when I didn't see them earlier, I assumed that they got held up.  
  
Jase and Zack head straight for me. You would think that after nearly two years being separated by a continent and an ocean, only seeing each other occasionally with a phone call regularly, I'd have found a closer best friend. But Jason and I have too much between us. After everything, Jason has always stood by me, and I plan on having him do that again when Kim and I get married.  
  
If we get married.  
  
As I stand here, looking at Kim talking with Trini and Kat, I swear that facing Rita, Zedd, Mondo and Divatox single-handedly wouldn't scare me as much as the prospect of her turning me down.  
  
"You're not getting nervous, are you?" Jason asks me with a grin as he clasps my shoulder in greeting.  
  
"What if she says no?" I murmur, starting to feel a pack of Tengas fly around my stomach.  
  
"This is exactly like the time when you wanted to ask her to the spring dance, my friend," comments Zack humorously, "she's gonna say yes. You just have to ask her."  
  
I shake my head in resigned understanding.  
  
"Are you sure that I can't convince you to ask for me?" I question Jason. In my calls to him, he's always been supportive of my decision, and offered to be there for me through the whole thing. The fact he considers Kim like a sister made it easier. Still though, I'd be much happier if I could get him to ask for me.  
  
"Please tell me you're kidding!" Zack yells, a bit too loud as a few people turn to glance at us. I quickly smile and wave them all off.  
  
"Sorry bro, but this is something you've got to do on your own."  
  
Sighing, I glance around to see if everyone's here. As I make a mental count, I realize that I have nothing and no one left to wait on. It's now or never, I tell myself, and start to head over to Kimberly when I feel a hand come down on my shoulder and my name being called out.  
  
"Uncle John!" I exclaim, being surprised by the appearance of my dad's famous car racing brother. I wasn't expecting him, and I wonder if he's here because of the graduation or the marriage proposal.  
  
"Tommy, you've grown up so much," he notes proudly, seemingly pleased.  
  
"We'll, it's been a while. I didn't know mom and dad had invited you. Hell, I didn't know what state you were in this month, to be honest."  
  
"Being on the racing circuit can be like that. But we were lucky that there's an event at Stone Canyon next week, so we signed up so we could be in town. Plus," he says with a knowing grin, "I have an offer for you, now that you've graduated and all."  
  
"What?" I say inanely, sounding really dumber than I'd like.  
  
"Racing cars my boy. I had one of my drivers decide to retire, so the team has a vacancy. I know that you've always been a natural with cars, and the last time we came through, you seemed to take to it faster than most."  
  
"But what about college? And Kim?" I question. This is really too much for my poor head to take. First graduation, then passing our powers, planning to propose to Kim and now an offer to drive racecars for my uncle. The day has been eventful to say the least.  
  
"She can come with," he replies with a wink. "We can always use another hand in the pit or with the crew. Besides, young lovers shouldn't split up. Bad for a relationship."  
  
Thinking of Florida, I want to tell him just how true that is, but don't. I need to have Kim help me make this decision, and before I can do that, I need to ask her about getting married first.  
  
"I have to talk it over with Kim first uncle John," I state firmly, hoping he'll appreciate my honesty.  
  
"Sure thing. You just go and ask her that other question first, then we can all talk about your racing career."  
  
Without another word or a moment to prepare, he gives me a shove in Kim's direction, and suddenly I feel everyone's attention turn towards me. Maybe it would have been better to do this in private. Or not let everyone in on the plan.  
  
Then Kim turns and looks at me, and those thoughts just go out the window. Unfortunately, so does the nicely rehearsed speech I had planned.  
  
"Kimberly," I start as she smiles and tilts her head to the side, trying to figure out the expression of fear on my face, "marry me."  
  
There's silence in the room now, except for the quiet buzz of nervous and excited whispers. Kim's still staring at me, and I realize that I forgot to pull out her ring when I asked her, so I fumble in my pocket and pull out the black velvet box. The moment Kim sees it, her face goes white. She didn't realize I was serious. Now she does.  
  
I pull back the lid and reach in to pry loose the ring. I thought about it for a long time, but finally decided on the palest pink diamond, quarter karat heart shaped stone they had that I could afford, set into the gold band. Holding it out, I see Kim's eyes filling with tears, break loose and start streaming down her face.  
  
"I love you Beautiful, and I can't imagine ever being without you again. Will you marry me?"  
  
I hear a yes as she launches herself into my arms and I pull her tightly into my embrace. Around us I barely register the roar of approval from the team, our friends and family.  
  
Slowly, we pull back and I kiss her deeply before taking her left hand in mine and sliding the ring on her finger. With her other hand, she wipes at her tear tracks and reaches over to run a thumb under my eyes, erasing the evidence of my own emotional reaction to her accepting my proposal.  
  
"I love you Thomas Oliver," she says in a whisper that only I can hear, and I smile what probably has to be the biggest grin of my life and take her hands in mine.  
  
"I love you to Kim. And after all that we've been through, I'm never letting you go again."  
  
Kim moves forward and kisses me again at my statement, and when she finally gives me some air by breaking the heady kiss, we realize that we're surrounded. Looking around, we start making the rounds with everyone, accepting their congratulations, hugs and well wishes.  
  
And as the evening wore on, I realized that no matter what I had to go though, I wouldn't trade a moment of it, because I was getting exactly what I needed to be happy for the rest of my live.  
  
-END- 


End file.
